Alternate Reality
by Pockyjin
Summary: [AU] Long story short. He was sick and she came to visit him when no one else could. Then he was happy again. Well, until she threw herself out the window anyway. After that, nothing made sense anymore. InuKag
1. Magical Meetings

_**Alternate Reality**_

_**Chapter 1**_

_**Magical Meetings**_

_In our present world, magic is an unreal figment of imagination to the average Joe. Nobody truly believes that there is any magic residing in anyone. All of that lived in the world anime and manga. _

_Yes, there were "magical" people who performed astounding tricks in front of people's very eyes. Nobody would believe them but what they said was true, it all really was a just an illusion. To magicians, it was all just a matter of manipulating people's minds into believing that they had just seen what had happened. _

_But to the people who actually know the truth. . . well, they knew the truth. _

_Magic didn't come from wands, spells, and enchantments. In fact it doesn't even have anything to do with genetics. _

_True magic comes from spiritually strong people who can manipulate their own aura and will to do something that was thought to be remarkable. Sometimes downright impossible. _

_And because of their special attributes, they are told not to tell anyone. _

_In this time, people wouldn't understand the counter reality that they held. They would quite easily jump straight to conclusions and think they harbored some evil force within them. They would think they were possessed or something that was just as equally crazy. _

_Thus causing the "mages" to keep their secret and uniqueness quiet._

_That is- - -_

_Until one little girl gave out her little secret._

* * *

"Down the hall and on your left," A tall brunette lady stood there and directed. She stood behind a light colored counter with forms and papers covering the smooth top surface. She stared down at the little girl on the other side of the mini wall and pointed her finger in the direction she was referring to. 

She seemed tired. Probably from searching for the info she was asked to look for. It wasn't easy working in a hospital.

"Thank you," the young girl replied, bowing down and letting her long, dark hair drape over her face. Then lifting her head to reveal her blue-gray orbs, glimmering in the white light of the hospital hallways.

The nurse smiled back at her as she watched the small person trot off into the white colored hallway.

* * *

The 6 year-old walked down the immensely lit halls. Twisting and turning every which way, searching for her desired destination. But in each room she just happened to peak in, it would always contain tired or weak people. Each one quietly suffering with their pain as they each lay on the milk colored beds. 

Her eyes drooped a bit until she stared down at the vanilla tiled floor that she was stepping on. She felt sorry for them to be suffering this way. But for them, their time of end was coming. There was only one person who didn't belong here at this very moment. And it was her job to get him out.

She quietly listened to her hollow steps against the cold floor. Each one bouncing off the flat walls that was surrounding her. She was getting tired of searching; she wanted to actually go through with what she wanted.

Seconds ticked away on the clock down the hall. Each annoying tick reaching her ears just as much as her footsteps were. She turned her head from side to side, still looking for the room.

Until she finally found the right number.

The girl quietly walked up to the matching white painted doors and stopped just about a foot in front of it. A smile crept onto her face when she tilted her head up to stare at and read the sign that was bolted to the door. This was the one she was looking for.

KAORI, I

AGE: 7

CASE: PNEUMONIA

And _what_ a case of pneumonia it was. According to what she knew, he had been in the hospital for 2 months because of it. Her smile dropped a bit as she thought about what he was going through. _'He must be bored out of his mind,' _She thought as the smile slowly came back onto her face.

Her hand opened slightly at her side as she concentrated on certain thoughts that she wanted happening. A slight daze fell over her as a dizzy spell washed over her standing figure. A bright warmth ignited in her slightly opened palm as she moved her head to gaze upon her heating hand.

Her sight fell upon her wrist as the daze continued to sway her consciousness a bit. Luckily her sight hadn't really been wavering that much, just her attention.

Around her wrist she saw a bright yellow dandelion colored light surround it. Actually it was more like little orbs of light that looked like cotton balls to her. But it was still pretty all the same. She stared at it for a few moments, her full consciousness was gradually restoring.

And when she was fully snapped out of it, the lit orbs of colors disappeared into who knows where. But when that light faded there was something in her hand that replaced it.

The girl held up the object in front of her eyes, the bluish-gray orbs of hers inspecting the object thoroughly before relaxing and letting her smile back on her face.

There in front of her very eyes was a peony flower.

Her eyes widened in amazement as the vibrant colors were absorbed into her sight. The different shades of pinks gave the flower an even more beautiful touch. The silky petals stayed in place as each one held on to the other.

"_This is the one he would like to see?"_, she thought to herself. Only to shrug off her curiosity a moment later.

She reached her hand towards the cold, silver door knob and twisted it.

* * *

Streaks of sunlight were strewn across the tiled floor of his hospital room. He could hear birds chirping in the trees just outside his open window. A warm breeze swirling around outside only to sneak inside eventually. 

It seemed like the most peaceful atmosphere one could imagine when stuck in a hospital.

Sure it was.

But he was bored out of his frickin' mind!!

Inuyasha lay still in his bed as he shifted his eyes to stare outside the window. The birds were still chirping. The breeze was still going. And the sun was still shining. It was the same thing every single day! Nothing changed! And it was so BORING!!!

The hanyou boy let a sigh escape his lips. An impatient sigh. But that didn't change the fact that there was still nothing to do except lay there in his bed.

"I've been in here for 2 months and what comes out of it?" he asked himself quietly, still staring at the open window. Thankfully there hadn't been one of those net things that separated the outside from the inside. If there had been one, the birds wouldn't fly in sometimes which caused him to snap out of his boredness only for a few moments until it flew back outside.

He just wanted to stand up and walk over to the window and look outside. A change of scenery would have been nice since he'd been seeing the same thing for about 8 weeks. But no, thanks to his pneumonia he was too weak to stand up. Even worse, he couldn't even sit up very well.

Sure he'd been getting company from his few friends and his mother on certain days. But nobody had come for the past week and a half. He could understand his friends not coming that often since school was taking up most of their time, but his mother!

Silence washed over him as he wandered through his thoughts.

"_Maybe she's been having trouble with the daycare?" _He thought to himself as he still lay there. Yeah, his mother had been running a daycare service ever since he was 4 years old. And just up until recently parents had been dropping off their kids at any moment and some of the other workers had ditched their parts.

Another sigh escape his lips. Somebody just had to be frowning down at him up there. He shook his head disappointedly at the thought until he heard the handle on the door moving.

Inuyasha looked up at the clock, _"4:40. . . . ok then, she's 20 minutes early_,_"_ his mind said, remembering the times that the nurse came in to give him his medicine.

He watched as the door opened- - -

But then it closed.

Confusion struck him for a moment. Nobody came in! Why had she bothered opening the door if she was just going to close it again?

Although, there was one more thing that struck him as odd.

There was someone else's scent in the room.

"Hello!"

Odd, he was hearing a voice too. Was his sickness causing him to go crazy? But then a kiddy panic took over his little 7 year-old mind, _"What if it's a ghost?!"_ he exclaimed in his head.

"Hello?"

Inuyasha stopped his panicking as his ears twitched a bit. If his hearing was all right he could've sworn that the voice was coming from the side of his bed.

Hesitation took over his mind for a moment. He wasn't sure if he wanted to see a ghost just yet. Maybe when he was dead and he was a ghost that might've been a good time to see one.

Despite his previous fears he turned his head a little bit to the left and looked down over the edge of the bed.

And that's when he saw her.

There standing beside him was a little girl. Well, maybe he wouldn't be calling her little since she seemed only slightly shorter than he did right now. She had raven dark hair and blue-ish gray orbs that seemed to smile at him. And along with her smiling eyes came a smile on her face as she held a pink peony blossom in her right hand.

His eyes widened at the sight of that flower. He hadn't seen one of those in ages. The last time he'd seen them was in his backyard in his mother's garden. She had planted so many of them because he was told that the first present she received from his father was a peony blossom.

So it became especially special in his mother's eyes.

But there was one thing strange that crossed his mind again.

There was no scent coming from the flower. If it had been there, he would definitely recognize it, he'd been around those flowers so long that he'd memorized the scent.

"Hello," he responded, pushing himself to sit up in his bed. He never really wanted to look weak in front of guests. Even though he had no clue as to who she was. And he didn't need a reason to know who she was either. Since she wasn't famous or well-known or anything like that.

"Who are you?" he asked. There wasn't any point beating around the bush, so to speak.

If it was possible for the girl's smile to get any brighter then it had done so right now. Inuyasha watched as she leaned forward in a bow out of respect, "Kagome Higurashi," she introduced herself in a gentle tone of her voice. She quickly set herself back upright and looked at him, "You're Inuyasha right?"

He responded with a nod of his head, not really knowing why he was answering to a complete stranger.

The girl called Kagome watched him as he struggled to sit up in his bed. And after a while he finally managed to get himself to lean against his now upright pillow. "This is for you," she beamed as she held out her hand that was gently gripping the stem of the flower. She had to tiptoe a bit, but that wasn't hard to believe. The bed _was_ pretty high, which would probably explain why he hadn't seen her enter the room; the end of the bed was probably in the way.

Again, Inuyasha scrutinized her to make sure she didn't look suspicious, which she didn't whatsoever. After a while of hesitation he took the blossom from her hand. And at that moment a surge of something unusual coursed through his body. It seemed odd in a way. It felt like something you would normally feel, but like he hadn't felt it for a while.

Kagome watched as the petals started to sparkle with a dim shine as soon as he touched the blossom. Her expression now held a look of relief on her face as she stepped back a bit and headed towards the door.

The hanyou boy watched as the small girl made her way towards the exit, "Wait!" he exclaimed without realizing until after he heard his own voice echo in his own ears. Kagome turned around to look at him. The smile was replaced with a small look of confusion as her eyes twinkled a bit. "Are you leaving already?" he asked, even if he didn't really know her it was still nice to have her company.

"Aren't I bothering you?" she asked, cocking her head to the side for no reason at all.

Inuyasha shook his head in reply as he watched a smile catch light on her face again. There was something about that smile that just made him want to… want to… he didn't know what it made him want to do. But it sure was refreshing in a way.

"So I can stay?" Another nod came from Inuyasha as she skipped over to the open window and hopped herself up, making her sit on the very sill of it. The boy seemed only to be lightly shocked as she simply sat there without any fear of falling out, and it looked like she seemed oblivious to the 5 stories of falling that awaited her if she fell when she started waving her feet back and forth. "Hah!" she squeaked as she sat herself properly with a proud smile on her face.

Inuyasha stared at her for a while. He hadn't seen any girl that would be daring enough to do that. Sure he'd be willing to do that if he was well, but he was hanyou. This girl seemed to be just like any other normal human. He was so deep in his thoughts that he didn't realize the silence that surrounded them, and when he realized it he decided to get rid of it.

"Why are you here?" he asked rather demandingly which caught her a bit off guard. She wasn't expecting him to ask that question.

"Eh?" she squeaked trying to stall for an answer, a confused and only slightly panicked look crossed her features. She honestly didn't know why she was there. She just had this big feeling to just come to this particular hospital and happened to notice something wrong with the place. "My grandmother used to be in this room when she was kept here, but then she died," silence covered them, Kagome didn't really know where to go from there since that wasn't really a good reason. "So I just wanted to see if it's changed or not," there was her reason… not a very good reason, but a reason no less.

"Uh-huh," Inuyasha answered to that explanation, it wasn't very convincing and that didn't explain why a peony flower was in her possession when she entered. Although the mention of someone dying in this very room made him a bit uneasy. He shuffled slightly in his bed, as if trying to avoid some kind of spirit that might possess him.

"So how long have you been here for?" she asked curiously, trying to avoid the subject of why she was here.

"About 2 months now," he answered.

"Wow that's really long!"

"It is, but at least I'm missing school"

She was expecting something like that to come from him, "So you being here is ok with you?" she blinked curiously again.

"I guess, but it's frickin' _BORING!_" he enunciated the word to make sure she got the point.

He watched as she giggled on the windowsill, "I would be too if I were stuck here,"

"I think everyone whose here is pretty much like that,"

"They are," she answered, but then the conversation ended. There wasn't much to say about being bored in a hospital.

Silence lay over them again as the birds chirped behind her. That's when she actually took a more observing look at Inuyasha. It wasn't every day you saw a boy with long silver hair and- OMG! She stared at him with wide eyes realizing what two things lay atop his head. '_He has puppy ears!' _she squeeled in her head trying to hold in her outbursts of cuteness when she saw the fuzzy appendages. That's when she made a conclusion out of this.

"You're a hanyou?" she asked, making him realize that she was still here.

"Uh… yeah," he answered another question, although before he answered, it seemed like he was unsure of himself.

"Cool!" she squealed in a way that confused him, that is until he realized that she was staring at the top of his head. Oh. It was the ears again. He sighed as Kagome gradually stopped herself from staring.

And then silence came again. It was starting to dawn upon him that he hated silences when he was being watched by someone or with someone. That's when he opened his mouth to speak… or at least tried to.

"Anyway, you wanna know something really funny that happened?"

It looked like this girl didn't like silences either.

"Sure," he answered, in the mood for something to possibly laugh about.

"Ok then, everyday of the week me and my brother would-"

* * *

Inuyasha smiled as he listened intently on the girl's every word. He had actually managed to laugh a few times during her babble and it was also very amusing how she would trip up on her words on occasions. 

"And then my brother tripped on our cat, Buyo, and then he-"

"Did you happen to have sugar for breakfast?" Inuyasha interrupted, asking just for the sake of asking, and also to see if she would get mad.

Kagome looked at him, confusion evident from her expression. She pondered over it a while, as she placed a finger on her chin in thought, "No… why?"

"Just wondering," he answered. She had been talking so long it wouldn't have been surprising if she did.

But for a while now something seemed to be swirling in his thoughts while he listened. He had to notice something a bit different from her while she was here, compared to his friends who sometimes visited and blabbed on like that. He didn't seem to lose his patience so easily around her, strangely enough. He had to wonder why.

"Anyway where was I? Oh yeah, after that my brother went and- ah!"

"Huh?" he stared at her from her sudden cut off.

He watched as her face dropped slightly, but then seemed to return to her normal smiling self in a matter of seconds. "I have to go now," she answered, making Inuyasha feel a bit bad.

"Already?" he had no idea why he worried about that. And why did he sound like he was complaining?

"Yeah, I'm sorry,"

"It's ok,"

"I'll see you around then,"

"Ok," his eyes were set on her, waiting for her to get off the windowsill and land on the floor.

Her smile brightened as she held an open hand by her face indicating what she was saying, "Bye,"

It only took a matter of seconds for him to realize what was happening before his very eyes. Kagome leaned back a bit as her hair started to follow after her from the air that she started running through. Her body gradually disappearing from sight of the window as he stared. Until it struck him like a bag of bricks.

She was falling out the window.

But it wasn't until she was completely out that he made a reaction.

"Kagome!"

Inuyasha tossed the covers off of him as he swung himself off the bed and his feet hit the floor. Letting the flower slip out of his hands as it hit the soft bed.

He quickly ran to the windowsill, throwing his weight in an effort to see outside and below. But that action had almost caused him to fall out too. So he managed to just hang from the sill and peek out a little to the ground below.

But she wasn't there.

In fact there was no evidence showing that she had fallen.

Nothing to show that she even hit the ground.

If she had really fallen out the window and hit the earth's surface she definitely would have been dead.

But there were no signs of death either.

He simply stared in bewilderment as his eyes searched the outside for the person he was only talking to a few moments ago. But again, there was nothing to show of her. "Kagome!" he called again to see if she was anywhere near the window. Nothing but silence greeted his ears as he waited.

That's when his mind was tossed into deep confusion as he thought to himself about what had just happened. _'Nobody can just disappear like that!'_ he contemplated, still looking out over the edge.

The doorknob twisted open, but he didn't seem to notice the usual nurse walk in when she did so.

"Inuyasha, it's time to take you- - -" she stopped mid-sentence, staring disbelievingly at the patient in front of her. She subconsciously let the tray in her hands (which held a pill and some water) clatter to the floor.

The hanyou snapped back to reality when the sudden disturbance, well, disturbed him. He turned around to look at the nurse at the door. And it appeared that she was gawking at him and making very well done impressions of a fish that was out of water.

And that's when it happened.

He felt the nurse run quickly over to him and embrace him like a mother that had been searching for her lost child. "Look at you! You're all better!" she exclaimed, excitement and volume rising in her voice leaving the hanyou utterly confused.

Until he realized that he was actually standing.

Even when just a while ago he wasn't able to sit up straight in his bed.

He felt the nurse pull away from him and look him straight in the eyes, "Are you feeling better?" she asked, shooing away his bangs and feeling his forehead. A happy, excited laugh escaped her lips.

His only response was a nod and a smile that crossed his face. She smiled back at him as she stood up and looked down at him, "I'm going to go call your mother and tell her that you're feeling better." She squealed, "Who knows? Maybe you'll be able to go back home tonight if you wanted," she stopped ranting a bit to face the door but then turned her head to look back down at the child. "Would you like that?"

He shook his head more aggressively this time to show he really wanted to go back. And with that the nurse walked back into the hallway and down the corridor. The light taps of her footsteps gradually disappearing as he stared out the door.

Silence overtook him as excitement grew in his mind.

He was going home!

Wait a minute.

Inuyasha pivoted on his feet as he headed towards the bed that he had lounged in previously.

But stopped when he realized something vital.

The peony flower was gone!

With that thought he snatched up the covers and threw them off the bed. Exposing the sheets of the mattress as he eyed the bed carefully.

But it wasn't there anymore.

Inuyasha stared in disbelief at the empty bed. _'But I could've sworn I left it here,' _he thought to himself.

After a moment or two he took the time to search the blanket he threw to the floor and under the bed.

But it was nowhere to be found.

Things didn't just disappear like that.

_People_ didn't just disappear like that.

No ideas greeted his mind as he stood there, trying to make sense of everything. But still only one thing would come to his young little mind.

'She was a ghost,'

* * *

Hi everyone! Well this little story just suddenly popped up in my head and I decided to flesh it out in words. All I want you guys to tell me is whether it sucks or not and other opinions. And also if you think I should continue it or not. 

Constructive criticism is welcome entirely! Hope you liked this little work!


	2. The girl named Kagome

_**Alternate Reality**_

_**Chapter 2**_

_**The girl named Kagome**_

It had been nine years since Inuyasha was released from the hospital with a bright smile on his face. Nine years since he was miraculously cured from his 'curse' of pneumonia. Nine years since he had first heard of the name Kagome Higurashi. And nine years since he had last seen her.

It was odd how the thought of a ghost healing him still bugged him. You would think he would grow out of that thought sometime around elementary school, but no. It still bugged him to this very moment, and he was in high school now.

He had even tried to get it off his mind by talking about it to someone. He had informed his mother about it when he had gotten out of the hospital that day, but she simply disregarded it and told him he was only dreaming.

One time, he had even started to consider it being a dream. And he would have completely followed along with that idea if his conscience hadn't told him to go visit the hospital again. Apparently when he got there, he met up with a nurse who claimed to have spoken with the mystery girl who came to him. This was the only proof that pointed to the fact that she was there.

But even if he had a witness it still didn't make sense.

People don't just fall out of windows and disappear like that. It was impossible!

And all of this still pointed to the thought of her being a ghost... But she seemed so real. So alive at the time. Was it possible for a wandering spirit to be that cheerful and bright?

Inuyasha snapped out of his daze as he stared off into space, all the while sitting on the park bench that was set on school grounds. A gentle breeze billowed around him, playing with his long silver locks as the birds cheerfully chirped to themselves and others.

He still couldn't believe that after all these years he still couldn't figure out if this "Kagome" person were real or not. His gaze didn't falter as his thoughts took over him, staring blankly off into space while the sun shown in his eyes. But he didn't seem to care for the light in his eyes right now.

The hanyou had been so worked up and excited about that encounter that he even told his friends in elementary school about it when he was little... But that was a big mistake.

There was a rustle in the bushes behind him, but he paid no attention to the person who was trying to sneak up on him.

"So, Inuyasha?" his ears twitched a bit at the sound of another male voice, "Thinking about that ghost girl again?" a chuckle escaped the teaser's mouth, causing Inuyasha to get into his irritated mood.

Yup... It was a big mistake to tell Miroku about all of that. He hadn't stopped poking fun at that since he told him.

"Will you shut up!" he shot back, subconsciously throwing a rather weak punch to the dark haired boy's head. Luckily for Miroku, Inuyasha was so out of it that he had missed without caring.

Miroku saw the look of seriousness on his friend's face when he turned his head to face him, "Something the matter?" his eyebrow arching a bit, curiosity had always gotten the better of him.

"Why the heck would there be?" Inuyasha retorted, still staring into the blossoming tree, whose branch was hanging over him. The shadows had fell on top of them when the cottony white clouds had moved out of the way of the sun, letting its radiant glows emanate.

Hmmm.... The sun was shining, a slight breeze was blowing by, and the birds were chirping.... Remind you of something?

It was just like the day that he had gotten out and met her. Days like this always seemed to make him think about that problem even more than usual.

Miroku leaned against edge of the park bench, now gazing upon the beauty of the trees. "You seem a bit out of it," he remarked, answering the hanyou's earlier retort, closing his eyes and feeling the warm winds bind around him. A slight, gentle smile found it's way to the surface.

Inuaysha immediately stopped spacing off when he realized that what Miroku said was absolutely right. And he didn't like it when Miroku was right. He shook his head only slightly so that the pervert wouldn't see and then blinked a couple of times. Damn those early school days! They were starting to take effect on him.

"And what makes you say that?" he couldn't let his friend have the last remark.

"Maybe because you're staring at nothing in the trees," he stifled a yawn a bit from the boring questions and answers. Time to get to the point, "So... Were you thinking about that girl again?"

Inuyasha froze a bit before turning his head to glare and scowl at the nosy boy. It was back to this question again. "No, I said!" he answered boredly yet abruptly. He leaned forward letting his chin rest on his palm, which was no planted on his knee.

Miroku motioned his hands in a way that looked like he had just touched something that was about to blow up, "Ok, ok!" he answered defensively before Inuyasha's fuse burned up. "Just wondering," A sweatdrop was starting to form on the back of his head.

The birds chirped to each other as a plague of silence passed over them. He still hated silences, and Miroku knew that, so he started to whistle a tune that was now commonly heard around the area. And right now Inuyasha wasn't really in the mood for that, he just wanted to be alone right now.

Miroku heard a sigh come from his friend as he felt cold golden eyes glare up at him, "Miroku, why don't yo-"

"Hey you guys!!"

Inuyasha stopped mid-sentence as he heard the object he was focused on talking about come closer.

Miroku looked away from the hanyou and gazed at the girl that was coming towards them. His former gentle smile being abandoned for an over all happy smile. Yes, Sango was definitely a sight to see with her knee-length denim skirt and white blouse. Her low-tied hair was caught in the breeze as the wind began to tease her while she came running for them.

But she had stopped about 10 feet away from them and instead called out, "C'mon you guys! Class is starting soon!" she beckoned to them and held a hand close to the side of her mouth, trying to echo her voice.

"Ok, we'll be right there!" Miroku called and waved back to reply, getting off his seat as he watched Sango take off.... Or more like watch her bottom. This guy would never change. Nor would his thoughts or focus when it came to women, or just one certain woman.

"Dirty pervert," Inuyasha mumbled under his breath, his eyes were narrowed at Miroku.

"Now, now, Inuyasha," he calmed with his hands in front of him. "No need to be jealous, but sorry! Sango's taken." He announced with a smile on his face. His friend was now arching en eyebrow at him with a confused look on his face.

"She's going out with you?" The hanyou asked inquisitively, the eyebrow still arched on his forehead. That didn't sound like Sango. Miroku had asked her out several times and each time it was the same answer of "No".

"No..." Miroku faked a sad expression on his face, "But she will be!" The smile revived on his features as Inuyasha stared at him with a blank look. How much self-confidence could he get?

A lot when it came to Miroku.

"Cough_concieted_dirtypervertcough" Inuyasha coughed, a fist in front of his mouth to add to the look of real coughing. But nobody could have missed what he said.

"If you say so Inuyasha," Miroku turned away from him, unfazed from his name calling, he was pretty much used to it by now. The standing boy then started to walk towards the tall, white school building, following Sango's previous trail as he waved a hand back at Inuyasha, "You might wanna hurry up with your thinking! And say 'hi' to the ghost girl for me if you see her!" he called back as he entered through the double doors and out of sight.

The hanyou turned away from the entrance with a frown and continued his earlier scrutiny of the tree branches that hung above him. The birds were still chirping while one of them came down to perch itself on the park bench.

He took note of this as it began to sing a few seconds later. Isolated rays of light started to shine upon him as the sun tried to peak through the blossoms on the trees. It was going to be beautiful today. But he couldn't help but wonder why.

It was usually raining in these areas nowadays. The forecast had predicted an 80 percent chance of rain today and yet the sunny side still won over this area. Sure it made him feel a bit happy that today would be different (and water wouldn't get in his ears). But there was still something that was troubling him.

Something just didn't feel right. Something in the back of his head was telling him that something unexpected was going to happen today.... But what?

The bird ceased its singing and flew off into the blossom filled branches, leaving Inuyasha alone in eerie silence. The other birds had stopped chirping and flew off somewhere as the hanyou's golden orbs struck gazes at them.

Looked like the birds didn't like him today..... Had they ever?

Well, there was that one exception of when he was little and in the hospital.

The silver haired boy let out a sigh as he got up from his seat. Class would be starting any minute now and if he was late he would piss off sensei. Which in turn would piss him off. And so all hell would break loose after that.

This wouldn't be the first time that would happen anyway.

The wind continued to dance around him as he watched some flower petals swirl around in circles while he walked passed them and entered the school building.

Today was going to be one interesting day.

* * *

Class had started only minutes ago. And today was just like any school day.

And every school day started out with the teacher, Takada-sensei, being late.

Inuyasha leaned his chin against his palm, which was rested on the smooth surface of his desk. Several books and papers were littered on the surface, but he didn't seem to care. In fact he never did care for cleanliness. He'd always left everything where he damn felt like it.

He heard Miroku pull up his chair at the desk behind him and take his seat, while Sango did the same at the desk beside the pervert. Yup, today was just like any regular day.

But all that was just about to change.

Inuyasha felt his downy, doggy ears twitch as the sliding door to the room slowly opened up. He checked the clock momentarily before he realized something.

He felt Miroku lean forward across his desk as he whispered, "Sensei broke the record for 15 minutes," he informed with a tone that practically said, 'Oh-my-gosh-what's-wrong-with-her?!'

The hanyou nodded in agreement and disregarded it, in favor of staring out the window and impatiently tapping his clawed hands against the desk's surface. Seconds ticked away with each tap while the teacher was talking with someone outside the hallway.

Nobody could see who it was since sensei had only opened the door with a small crack to allow sound to flow out. A few moments passed until she finally closed it and let herself in completely

Sango waited patiently as she unpacked her books out of her bag slowly and quietly. All the while watching the middle-aged, female teacher walk over to her desk and setting a rather thick pile of papers on top. That must have been tonight's homework.

'_Joy'_ Both Miroku and Inuyasha thought at the same time with just the same amount of sarcasm.

The other boys and girls in the classroom waited for sensei to unpack everything as her long, curly brown locks bounced with each movement until she finally set her glasses in front of her eyes and made her way to the front of them room.

The first thing she did was clap her hands together as a wide, giddy smile grew upon her features.

What the heck was she so happy about?

"Good morning class!" she started off in her un-sleepy like, sugar coated tone. It was a bit frustrating to hear such a perky voice so early in the morning. Well to Inuyasha anyway. He considered 9:00 in the morning rather early to start a school day.

"Good morning," the students replied with either bored tones or partially happy tones. But none of them even qualified to rival against Takada-sensei's overly perky tone.

Her smile grew brighter and she clapped her hands again. "It's so good to see _all_ of you so bright and ready to learn, but first thing's first." She paused and picked up a purple piece of paper from her thinner stack on top of the podium.

Inuyasha heard murmurs echo across the room as she did so. When she picked up a paper of that color before she started lessons it meant someone was in deep trouble, or something good was about to happen.

"Hmmm.... Yes, well," she mumbled as she looked over the information she already knew, re-reading it again to make sure. "It seems that we have a new student transferring in today," she concluded other people's suspicions while at the same time relieving the troubled souls of some.

But then after a while of those few mumbles, the news finally started sinking in.

Wow, they were getting a new classmate. They couldn't help but think about that. In fact it had been a long time since they received one. So far the last transfer student had been Kikyo, and she came to them about a year ago. Usually transfers would come up more often then you would think, but nowadays it seemed like people didn't want to come to this school.

"Is this person a girl?" Miroku rang out, disturbing Inuyasha's thoughts in the process. Everybody in the classroom stared at him as silence washed over them. They all knew that Miroku was completely fond of girls, but of all the questions to ask first thing in the morning.

Takada-sensei took a moment to check the sheet, even though they all knew that she knew the answer already. She just liked to play dumb sometimes.

"Yes, she is a girl," she answered, looking up from the form as more questions about the new girl rang in.

Inuyasha stayed silent and ignored the interrogation as he looked around the room. The hanyou lifted his head off his palm in wonder as his eyes wandered. If there were a new student there would have to be an empty seat for her to sit at. He continued to scrutinize the large room, searching for the empty seat in question.

Although, it took a while until he finally realized that the _only_ empty seat was the one that was placed right beside him and in front of Sango.

His chin landed in his palm again with a huff as the information registered. _'Great,'_ he thought as his eyes shifted from place to place around the room, _'This girl is gonna be bothering me, or Sango, if she's confused,' _

The hanyou wasn't very fond of new kids. They would always pester the old people... ok, not old people... The more informed kids, for directions and whatnot. And continually explaining it over and over again would always frustrate him and make him want to throw them out the window or something just as equally violent.

"Now, now," The teacher held her hands in front of her face, much like the expression that Miroku had used earlier that morning. "If you want to know all this information why don't you just ask her and make your judgements yourself," she calmed as all the students began to quiet down.

The moment of truth was coming.

"Now, may I introduce, Miss-"

Inuyasha shifted his eyes towards the door, waiting for the new, and probably clueless, girl to walk in.

"Kagome Higurashi,"

The hanyou's eyes shot open and widened at the sound of that name as the door slowly slid open. But he didn't have a chance to see her face. He was so overwhelmed by this surprise that he didn't even notice that his elbow had slipped, causing him to crash onto the floor and out of his seat in bewilderment.

'_WHAT?!'_

* * *

AN: Heh-heh! Hello everyone! Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Sorry this was a bit short, but I wanted to hold off the Kagome's full introduction till next chapter. So I'll try my best to get that up as quickly as I can.

If there are any questions you need answered just post them in your review and I'll make sure to answer them. If I don't answer them, then it will probably be answered in a later chapter.

Remember to click the little review button on your way out. Never know reviews will do to improve a writer's ability.


	3. Understandable Accusations

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* * *

Alternate Reality**_

_**Chapter 3**_

_**Understandable Accusations **_

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Inuyasha groped for the sides of his desk as he quickly tried to haul himself off the cold, tiled ground. His eyes quickly darting over to the girl who had just walked in. But when he did, he felt his mouth drop open while he scanned over the newbie.

"It _is _her," he quietly murmured so that only he could hear.

He inspected and scrutinized her thoroughly to make sure that it was true. Her hair was a dark shade of raven and her eyes held an azure glow to them, while she seemed to look over random people in the class.

The features were exactly the same.

Well, maybe not the fact that she was much taller now, but the last time he had seen her had been nine years ago.

Sensei quickly wrote Kagome's name on the board, "Would you please introduce yourself?" she asked, the smile still on her face.

Kagome nodded and faced the class, beaming with gentle brightness. "Hello," she greeted, "My name is Kagome Higurashi," she introduced and bowed out of respect.

Inuyasha sat himself back in his seat quickly so that he wouldn't draw attention to himself. His eyes still glued to the sight of the supposed "ghost girl".

What the heck was she doing here?

He couldn't help but wonder. The same exact girl was here before his very eyes. She wasn't a ghost, that was for sure since she had a very clear scent. One that smelt of the same aroma of lavender. He smiled to himself as he thought of the chances of them meeting again. It had been nine years and it was only _now _that she decided to show herself.

The hanyou watched as Kagome looked over the room slowly. Her smile still situated on her face as her head turned to look over more people. It was only then that he noticed she still had the same smile.

Kagome quickly looked to the window, spying the birds that fiddled with the leaves while chirping happy tunes. The sun beating down through the glass, slightly glistening onto to the light colored objects in the room. She had a feeling that nothing was going to go wrong here. It was too calm for everything to just come crashing down on the wonderful things in life.

That is, until she spied a glint of silver that was sitting right beside the window... That couldn't be him. She felt a feeling of horror wash over her as she slowly turned her eyes so that they could scrutinize the boy that sat there.

That was when her horror like feeling went full out. It _was_ him!

She felt herself jump slightly at the sudden surprise while her eyes widened at him. The smile on her face was fading while Inuyasha stared at her in disbelief. She hadn't been expecting to see him ever again. But it looked like the story of life had other things in store for her.

"Wow! She looks exactly like Kikyo!" she snapped out of her thoughts when she heard a male voice come from the sea of chattering students. All things went quiet momentarily as all eyes shifted from the girl up front, to the other girl who was called Kikyo.

It took Kagome a moment to realize who exactly this Kikyo person was. And when she spotted her, surprise rushed over her. It was like looking into a mirror that changed clothes!

Kagome's eyes widened as Kikyo did the exact same thing. Both opened their mouths to speak simultaneously, then closed them without realizing. Kikyo tilted her head to the side to see what would happen. Turned out Kagome had also done the same as the both stared at each other.

"It's like looking into an odd shaped mirror," she heard another person from the crowd. And it really did look that way. Another smile appeared on Kagome's face as she felt a small chuckle escape her. None of this had been expected at all. It was sort of amusing when thinking about how all of this would turn out in the end.

Sensei, who had finished her examination of the similarities between the almost twin girls, finally rose up from her seat with another clap of her hands. "Now Kagome, would you please take your seat?" she requested while Kagome turned to her with a questioning look that obviously said _'Where?'_.

Inuyasha looked back to the desk that was positioned right beside him to his right. She was going to be sitting there. Strange how things turned out around here. And from the looks of how she jumped when she spotted him, it looked like she was a little nervous about him being there. But why?

"Will you please sit next to Inuyasha?" sensei asked, making Kagome stand stiff for a few seconds before she placed the smile back on her face. She made sure that it wouldn't falter this time.

If she wanted to avoid the subject that was troubling her, then all she had to do was pretend that she hadn't met him before. Then again, maybe he wouldn't fall for that....

Oh well, it was all she had for now.

Inuyasha looked to the desk beside him again, this time catching the look that lay on Sango and Miroku's faces. Strange. They looked positively delighted. It kind of looked like they were seeing an old friend after a long time away. Why were they so happy?

Kagome walked closer to her desk, trying to divert her gazes at anything but Inuyasha. That is until she noticed the girl who was sitting behind her desk. She looked bright and happy, friendly too. The walking girl smiled back at her while Sango threw her a wave.

She inched closer to the small table and sat down, tucking her skirt under her so that she could get situated properly. Setting her bag at the side of her desk, she felt two golden eyes stare at her for the longest time. This was starting to make her feel uncomfortable.

After a moment of hesitation, Kagome turned her head to face him. Yup, this was definitely the guy. Nobody could mistake those doggy ears and golden eyes. And by the way he was looking at her, it seemed that he remembered her too.

Kagome managed to pull a smile on to her features, "Hello," she greeted, averting her gaze towards the window to avoid eye contact. She waited for a moment, expecting a reply to come back to her. Or maybe she was waiting for an interrogation. But alas, silence was the only thing that greeted her ears. With that she turned away as sensei started writing page numbers on the board and explaining the assignment.

This was going to be a difficult day to get through.

* * *

The school bell's ringing echoed through the empty corridors of the school. Each chiming sound flowing from each room until the sliding doors of the classroom slid open after hours of lying dormant. Students gradually started crowding into the halls, making their way towards the school entrance grounds to get on their way home.

Kagome sighed as she stuffed another notebook into her bag and hefted it onto the top of her desk. The day was already as long as it was, but the minutes that had ticked by in class seemed to have wanted to take their time today. And they were especially lazy when sensei had started her lesson in math.

"So your name is Kagome?"

Said girl turned around at the sound of another girl's voice, but instantly jumped back when she realized that the female behind her was leaning over to her desk to speak with her. She was still packing, so she couldn't really get up at the moment seeing as how her bag was resting on her lap as she shoved numerous things down into dark depths.

"Yes?" she answered, uncertainly. Why she answered with that tone she had no idea. "What about you?"

"I'm Sango," she responded with a smile, at the same time bringing her hand up to the side of her mouth to shield what she was about to say. "Hey, do you think you could meet Miroku and I at the back of the school in say-- 15 minutes?" she asked. Kagome hesitated for a while, but then decided that she looked kind enough to trust.

"Sure!" she answered with enthusiasm, and then started to look around the room before turning back to Sango, "But, who's Miroku?"

"Did someone say my name?"

Kagome turned around to face the source of the voice that stood behind her. There, in front of her, was a boy who had dark hair and a gentleman-like smile on his face. His short hair tied back and his eyes were that of the color violet. He was taller than her, but that didn't change anything to the kind look that he was giving her.

This had to be Miroku.

"It's nothing," Sango shooed him away and picked up her stuff off the desk. "Well, I'll guess we'll see you in a little while!" she cheered and beamed at the new girl as she smiled back. Leaving through the sliding door of the classroom and out of sight.

Well, now she was the only one in the room save for sensei. And the silence was eerily starting to creep her out. She had always hated silences ever since she could remember. It always made her feel like she was alone. And she couldn't even describe how much she hated that certain feeling! With that thought in mind, she picked up her bag and let it dangle at her side as she walked out of the classroom.

Things were starting to look up for her at the moment. She had already met two friendly people who she felt she could trust at times like this, and the thought of that made her want to smile. And so she did as she walked down the now empty hallways, leaving behind little tapping sounds as her shoes made contact with the floor. Hollow echoes bouncing off the walls and meeting her ears. Déjà vu suddenly was making its way to her head.

But still-

There was a happy feeling that kept on building up in her spirit.

"Oi!" she could hear a voice call out from behind her. And she had a big doubt that she was mistaking who it belonged to.

Her happy feeling just flew out the window right there. And quite ironically, the window was open too.

Kagome groaned to herself and casted her eyes to the ground as she sensed Inuyasha coming in closer. He more than likely wanted answers to things that were probably bugging him ever since the "incident" that she had dubbed. And sadly, she wasn't allowed to give him those answers. Frustration and panic were growing in the little pits of her mind while the seconds ticked by.

"Oi!!" she heard him call again, this time turning around in response since his loud voice was most likely going to draw attention to them. Even though they were both alone in this particular corridor.

The hanyou boy stopped away from her, making sure that they were within speaking distance. Kagome hesitantly looked up at him, trying to make it so that her face wouldn't give anything away. Although she didn't know what kinds of gestures would reveal anything.

Inuyasha looked over her again quickly, making sure that she was the one. This was about the 100th time he had made sure, there were only so many times that a person could check. He paused for a moment and stared at her before he finally got his mouth and voice to work again, "Have we met before?" he managed to ask.

The girl managed to push a questioning look on her face, adding more detail to the lie of she didn't know him. "Hm?" she started, looking up to the ceiling and tilting her head to the side, "I don't think we have," she responded. A sense of confusion etched itself into her tone. _'Go Kagome! You can do this!'_ She could her herself cheering in her mind, still averting her gaze to meet his eyes.

She watched as a frown formed itself on Inuyasha's face. For some odd reason, something in her head was telling her that he wasn't buying it. Maybe she hadn't changed that much since she last saw him.

"Don't lie!" he growled out. Yup, he definitely wasn't buying it, "I _know_ we've met before!" his eyes were narrowing on her as Kagome took a small step back, this couldn't be good.

"You're the girl from the hospital! I know it!" he demanded an answer out of this, some kind of admitting statement that would prove his thoughts. His tolerance with dishonesty was starting to draw thin.

But all he got was a confused look from her and a short squeak, "Eh?" Kagome managed to pull out her confused set of features as she stared at him. Luckily, it looked like this gesture was as convincing as it could get since his frown was starting to falter.

Unfortunately, he wasn't the type to give up so quickly, "What do you mean 'Eh'?!" he shot back at her, the tone of frustration was growing. Kagome took another step back before Inuyasha blew up again, "You have the same face! The same smile! The same eyes!"" he informed in a more aggressive way than he had planned, at the same time sniffing the air momentarily, "And you have the same scent!"

Kagome flinched at that comment. She didn't realize that he would remember those things about her. Panic gradually started growing, but at the same time a slight happy feeling was starting to come back again. She wasn't expecting him to remember stuff like that.

Come to think of it, why had he remembered all that?

'_Maybe because I fell out a window?'_ she retorted to herself. Nobody would forget that!

It took both of them a while to realize that they were standing in silence while staring at each other. And even after all this time they still hated silences.

The glare had been wiped from Inuyasha's face when a nervous feeling washed over him. Silences had always managed to make him feel that way whether he liked it or not. But the that period of blank nothing wouldn't last too long.

"So..." he started, a bit quieter and gentler this time, "Do you remember?" he asked, unsure of what to expect. If she had answered 'yes' then all of his curiosities and bothersome thoughts would be put to rest. But if she said 'no' then he would have to find a way to force the truth out of her.

Kagome looked up at him with a serious looking face, "No," she answered bluntly, causing his face to drop a bit, "What are you talking about? If that had happened I would have remembered." She stated and pivoted on her foot to look away from him, "And if that ever happened then I would know, I wouldn't be able to forget a boy with silver hair and puppy ears," she turned back to him and smiled with a soft chuckle under her breath.

From the look on his face, she came to the conclusion that he was surprised.... Well, who wouldn't be after an accusation like that, and then to suddenly have it shot down?

She just _knew_ that that would to get him. Her voice had that completely serious tone that made it hard to think that she was lying. She opened her hand and held it by her face in a waving gesture, "I'll see you tomorrow then, ne?" she greeted him farewell and went on her way.

15 minutes had already passed since she and Sango had agreed to meet, and it took about two minutes to get down to the courtyard and behind the school. Urging her feet to walk faster, she quickened her pace and turned right to the narrow staircase that lay before her. Her mind telling her not to worry about Inuyasha right now, she had other things to concentrate on. And her secret being kept wasn't something that she was planning to worry about during this time.

* * *

Inuyasha watched as she walked off. She had acted as if nothing had happened, but he knew better.

Nobody could ever escape from the scent they gave off when they were lying.

Kagome was no exception.

He shook his head in disappointment when she had turned the corner and out of sight. The hanyou had been expecting better of her. Besides, what was there to hide? All he wanted to know was how she had survived the fall from the 5th floor window of the hospital.

But she was hiding something from him. That was for certain. Why would she lie about something like that unless she didn't want him to know a certain secret that he was still clueless about?

It was then that it was decided.

He was going to find out what exactly she was hiding! And along with that answer would come the relief of the one thing he had been pondering after this whole time.

Yup, it was the perfect plan!

Well, to him anyway.

Simple, but still good.

The hanyou walked over to the open window and peered outside and down. The grass was as green as it was this morning while the sun gradually moved from its current position, causing the day to slip by after every second. Birds were still chirping on the nearby tree branches that hung close by the window, the wind fluttering by them while carrying stray blossom petals on their gusts.

It was just as peaceful as it was nine years ago. Everything was just the same. The atmosphere, the feeling, and Kagome was here again.

Coincidentally, Kagome had just dashed from the double doors and headed to the side of the school to make it to the back of the building. And in the process of that, she had managed to cross Inuyasha's line of sight.

He smirked to himself and pulled back from the outside, feeling the sudden cooler feeling of the school envelope the half of him that had been peaking out. Silence was rushing towards him again as he stood there, not knowing what to do now.

Until he suddenly realized something.

His eyes widened in sudden realization as he held out his wrist in front of him and pulled back his long sleeve to reveal his watch. Which at the time, now read 3:45pm.

"Shit!" he exclaimed, rushing down the hall and down the stairs, reaching the double doors and out into the school yard. Making his way to the sidewalk that ran along the sides of the main streets and into the maze of the many minor ones.

He had completely forgotten that he was expecting a visitor at his apartment at 4:00pm. And he only had 15 minutes to get there and clean up.

At the moment, the apartment appeared to be a complete wreck from the last time he saw it which was this morning. He had never been a big fan of cleanliness. Right now that habit wasn't really going to help anything.

Especially since he had no idea who this visitor was.

He was only told that he was going to be letting a girl stay at his apartment while she was in town. Along with that, he was also advised to make a good impression on her while she stayed there.

Like he really gave a crap!

Normally, he would have turned down that request flat. But he had been threatened by his Aunt Kaede that if he didn't agree to this then she would stop paying for his major expenses.

Yes, you heard me right, she was paying. Only because he refused to move in with Sesshoumaru, and she had become his legal guardian ever since his mother died.

After that certain threat he was completely willing to let the bitch stay. Only as long as she would stay out of his way. But then there was the threat of making a first impression.

Not like he cared about that either!

Unfortunately for him, that had also came along with the threat.

Inuyasha subconsciously turned the corner to the apartment building and dashed towards it.

As he reached closer to it, an ominous feeling started to build up in the back of his head. Something that kept telling him that today was going to be a _very long_ day.

* * *

AN: Hope you liked this chapter! I wasn't really into my writing mode when I wrote this, so if this sucked, I'm sorry! But just to make sure that everything was worded out correctly and words weren't repeated too often, I'll go back and re-read the whole thing just to be safe.

Please make sure that you review on your way out! It would be greatly appreciated whether you just leave a comment, flame, or praise.


	4. One Time After Another

_Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. I sure wish I did though. But my mind is not complex enough to come up with a plot like that, or even continue it for that matter.  
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**_Alternate Reality_**

_**Chapter 4**_

_**One Time after Another**_

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One thing was definitely for sure that day... It had been one eventful morning.

Kagome rounded the corner out of the school gates and let out a happy sigh as a pleasant smile appeared on her face. She couldn't believe her luck!

After that run in with Inuyasha just a few moments ago, she had a sinking suspicion that everything around here was going to turn out horribly. Boy, was she wrong!

The girl trotted down the road happily, humming to herself while isolated sunrays peaked through the cottony clouds. The birds once again flew over head as their songs echoed through the neighborhood she was now entering. Her head held up high while her eyes gazed upon the light blue sky.

She couldn't exactly say that this day was a good one. She could definitely say she had better.

But the weather just made everything that caught her off-guard wipe away from her mind as she watched the buildings she was walking towards come closer and closer with each step.

Kagome habitually reached her hands and arms up toward the sky, like she was trying to touch even the smallest thing up there. She reached higher in order to get her body fully stretched and relaxed. This was really going to be needed for today, though it was still unknown to her.

The girl cracked an eye open when a glimmer from her wrist caught her sight. She didn't remember anything being there.

Until she took her arms down and realized it was her watch.

And the watch was now showing her what time it was, in turn, causing her to remember something.

"I'm gonna be late!!" she screamed in panic as she ran down the sidewalk she was formerly stationed on, now sprinting down the path towards the apartment complexes that were built up ahead.

She couldn't believe she had forgotten. The surprises that had caught up to her must've clouded her memory a bit. The stress had gradually built up during that day that was for sure.

Kagome mentally scolded herself and softly cursed under her breath as she ran as fast as she could, trying to make to her destination on time.

One thing that Kaede had warned her about, was that her grand-nephew was a very impatient person and wouldn't be very lenient on mess ups and what not.

At the moment, this kind of reminded her of a certain classmate that she had just met earlier today. Wouldn't it be funny if it was his apartment she was staying at?

Ha ha ha ha ha!

* * *

Inuyasha carefully placed the last cardboard box into the other room of his apartment. He waited a moment before inspecting his work and walking out of the room, complaining to himself.

"Damn, how long is she gonna stay here anyway?" he whined, silently cursing the girl that was coming to ruin his life.

Ugh! He couldn't even imagine what he'd have to go through for who knows how long! But from the number of boxes that were sent to him from her house, it looked like enough supplies for the rest of the school year.

He glared at the floor before glancing up at the clock to see what time it was. "And she's late too!" he added to his list of things to whine about as he walked over to the small living room and flopped himself on the couch.

... Only to stand up again when a knocking sound resonated on the door.

He eyed the door with disgust as he lazily picked himself off the couch to answer the calling from outside. How much he dreaded this moment, he didn't know how to start explaining it.

Probably with a couple of curses here and there.

Inuyasha slowly started unlocking the door that now stood before him. There was no rush or urge to open it quicker. Might as well prolong your freedom in your own apartment, right?

The hanyou purposely started to fumble with the door lock, pretending that it had gotten stuck in the midst of opening it. Finally, convincing himself to twist the brass knob, he did so and swung the door open--

That was when he saw the person who stood on other side of the wooden barrier that had once separated the two of them. A confused, and not to mention nervous look, started to appear on the girl's face as she stared up at the boy in front of her.

Panic was definitely going through her mind... just like it did earlier that day.

A moment of silence drifted by them as a light breeze blew in and then left them, obviously getting bored with the two teenagers .

Kagome stood there, trying her best to find words that would get her out of this. But too bad for her, Inuyasha's eyes were piercing into her which was making her feel even more uncomfortable. "Uh...," she started, her brain was starting to blank for a moment, "I think I have the wrong apartment," she managed to at least mumble enough for him to hear, and turned away from the house owner, getting ready to walk away and find the real place.

Even though she definitely knew this _was_ the real place.

Heh-heh... the joke she had made earlier was starting to haunt her. Only this time she didn't find it funny at all.

She hadn't even took one step away from the door when she felt a clawed hand roughly grab her shoulder and pull her back towards the place she was now dreading to stay at. "Oh no you don't," she heard Inuyasha announce, still pulling her inside. Her body was struggling to get away from his grasp, but it looked like she wasn't strong enough to get away from a hanyou's grip.

Curse her weakness.

"I took the trouble of putting your stuff in your room, you're staying!" he said, now disregarding his earlier thoughts of loathing the girl that was barging into his life.

Now, to him, it seemed like it wouldn't be as bad as he thought. Now he would be able to get the truth out of her no matter how hard she tried to hide it. And now, he would find out what her reason for lying was for. What was she hiding?

"Uh..." Kagome blurted out again, cursing her mind for hesitating, "You don't want me staying with you," she continued as a nervous sweatdrop was starting to form on her head, "You see, I uh... I- smell! Yeah, that's it! I smell! You wouldn't want a smelly girl around you now would ya?" Since when had she actually convinced her mind to insult herself?.... Oh well, it was all she had at the moment.

She felt the boy stop dragging her for a moment, taking an instant to sniff the air. Before concluding, "You don't smell," he frowned, once again tugging her inside. The only thing she smelt of, was the scent of lavender, with a hint of the scent that lying gave off.

When would she learn?

"Well, then I-"

"Don't wanna hear it,"

"But I-"

"Be quiet,"

"No, really, I-"

"Would you just shut and come inside, bitch?!" he growled at her with frustration, but then suddenly loosened his grip a little from the sudden anger she seemed to be giving off into the air.

She instantly rounded on him once she heard that and narrowed her eyes. The kind of eyes that would send shivers down anyone's spine. Inuyasha was no exception to this as a chilling air suddenly ran through him.

"**_EXCUSE ME?!_**" Inuyasha stepped back a little, her once cheerful face from earlier in the day now seemed non-existent.

"_WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?!"_ she demanded, her now less gleaming eyes pierced angrily through him, forcing him to step back a bit. He could just tell that something was going to happen.

"Is _this _what I get for cu-?!" she suddenly cut herself off, tripping over her words and realizing what she was just about to say. Kagome just remembered that she was supposed to act like that had never happened. And right now, she just knew that if Inuyasha hadn't gotten a clue with that slip up, then he was definitely dense.

Kagome had her head turned down, her eyes suddenly finding the wooden designs on the floor very interesting. But that was when silence had taken over the moment again. And Lord knows how much she hated silences.

Her eyes gradually inched up to face him and stare at his face. An annoying smirk was playing on his lips.

Great... he wasn't that dense.

"Get for what?" he shot back at her, referring to her almost slip-up comment. His eyes were gleaming with a clever, egotistical gaze. That just seemed to annoy Kagome.

But she sent away the ticking that was going on in her head as she tried to keep her patience in check and concentrate on the conversation going on. She'd have to pay more attention to this if she didn't want to do anything she would regret later.

"Uh..." Why did this seem to be the first thing she ever said in each sentence? "I-uh--cooking!" she exclaimed, making the over-confident smirk wipe off Inuyasha's face.

"Huh?" he felt his face drop. The hanyou had thought that he finally caught her. Dang!

"Cooking!" she repeated, stepping forward slowly with the smile back on her face to cover up any other emotions. "Wasn't that the agreement?" she asked, remembering that she had an agreement with Kaede to do for the person she was staying with.

Inuyasha obviously had no idea about this, "What agreement?" confusion was now evident on his features, which in turn made Kagome smile. She was so smart!

"Didn't Kaede tell you about it?" she asked. Inuyasha shook his head as the idea for the first time made its way to his head. "Well, I told her that I would do the cooking and the cleaning for whoever I was staying with, if they let me stay with them," she answered, smirking as her eyes glinted with cleverness.

She couldn't say she was lying since she _had_ agreed to this before she knew who the person was. But now that she thought about it, maybe that was a mistake. Kagome didn't know whether Inuyasha was the kind of person who would take advantage of other people.

The idea suddenly came crashing down on her.

'_Drat!'_ she snapped in her head while Inuyasha slowly came to understanding with this so-called "agreement".

But the only things he had managed to say was, "Really?" he was a bit shocked and confused at the moment, but eventually shooed his thoughts away as he stared down at his classmate.

"Yup," she smiled again, making her way past him and entering the apartment. Inuyasha awkwardly raised an eyebrow at this action. Wasn't she just a moment ago, refusing to come inside?

Things were getting weirder now.

"Is it ok if I stay the night?" she asked the hanyou who was now closing the door.

"Isn't that what you're here for?"

"Yeah, but I don't want to bother you, so I'll make sure to get out of you hair, not to mention your house, by tomorrow night." She answered, surveying the room as she did so. Curiosity was getting the better of her.

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow at her. She was really intent on not staying here wasn't she? "And where do you plan on staying after you've left?" he tried to corner her, there was no way he was going to let her do that. He still needed to try and find out her secret.

That question had caught Kagome like a deer in the headlights. "I'll just rent out a hotel room, I guess" she answered, pondering over that possibility for a moment, but then sending it off. She would just decide to think about it later if Inuyasha didn't drag on the matter.

"Hotel rooms are expensive around here. Especially if you're staying as long as you are."

"How do you know how long I'll be here?" Kagome asked out of curiosity.

"Well you brought too much stuff to only be staying here a few days... so I was thinking about the rest of the year."

Kagome eyed him carefully, "You're good,"

"I know," he agreed, his ego was starting to grow, but how was this any different from any other day? "So, still thinking about the hotel?"

The girl was staring out the glass sliding door that led to the small balcony that hung outside. She took interest in the beautiful, blossoming sakura trees that grew outside while the green grass slowly swayed in the gentle wind. The sun hung overhead, quietly beaming its rays towards anything.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to stay here?

"Maybe," she answered, still surveying the outside, "But I don't want to be bothering you," she added quickly, remembering the reason why she didn't want to stay in the first place.

Inuyasha sent a frown to her turned back, still gazing out the window. This girl was stubborn... But then again he wasn't the one to talk, he was just as stubborn as she was.

Kagome turned back to Inuyasha and shot him a smile that seemed a bit out of place. "Well, if I'm going to be staying here for tonight, I'll just start on dinner then." She walked past him to the small kitchen area that was just behind him.

"What do you have to eat anyway?" she asked, her hand hovering over the knob of one of the cupboards.

"Ramen," he answered.

"Ramen?" she asked, opening the cupboards she could see stacks of ramen packets sitting on each other in the cramped space. "Oh.. my.. gosh.." she gaped at it. They were piled high in there, and they were all stuffed inside.

"Is this all you eat?!" she shot him a look and then turned her head back to the packet-filled cabinet.

"Yeah," he answered, unshamefully, "Got a problem with that?"

He watched Kagome turn back to him, her eyes scrutinizing his figure while her gaze looked up and down him. He subconsciously looked down, trying to see what Kagome was seeing. Did he have a stain on him or something?

"I'm surprised you're not fat yet!" she exclaimed, eyes widening while she stared.

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow, "Why would I be?!"

"Because this is all you eat!!" she practically screamed, motioning to the open cabinet that was placed by her head.

Inuyasha didn't make any move. He didn't really seem to care. Ramen was good and it was edible. He could eat it as much as he wanted and there was no one to stop him.

Kagome shook her head disapprovingly and walked over to the hanyou, pushing him out of the kitchen quarters and into the hall that led its way to the bedrooms and bathroom. "Get out," she commanded.

"Why?!" the boy demanded, "It's my kitchen, it's my house, I could go where ever I want!"

"You need to eat food that will fulfill your dietary needs!" her voice was in a harsh, admonishing tone, "Now get out while I cook!" she shoved him one last time, sending him forward a few steps towards the rooms.

Inuyasha sent her a glare out of the corner of his eye before he complied with her demands. It wasn't like to him to just give up that easily, but she was right... in a way. But he'd never admit to that.

Besides he had too much homework to worry about to be watching someone while they cook.

Kagome watched him send himself down the hall and heard a door slam when he reached his own room. Well, at least he was gone.

The girl started to scavenger the cupboards, shelves, and fridge for the needed products and items for the dish she was planning. And so far, all she had was water, pots, noodles, veggies, and some pieces of chicken... At least that was all she needed.

She smiled to herself while setting the regular sized pot onto the stove and dumping water inside it. The girl wiped a bit of imaginary sweat from her brow and washed her hands.

Kagome hadn't done this in a while. Wonder if her technique got rusty?... Well, she would just have to find out.

With that thought in mind, the girl gently grazed her fingertips over the knife and vegetables that lay on the cutting board. Things were going to be very interesting from now on.

* * *

Inuyasha sat in his room, quietly tapping his pencil against the side of his textbook. Just what he'd wanted, lots of homework to fill up the rest of the day (insert sarcasm here).

"I don't have time for this," he groaned to himself and threw the pencil at the vanilla colored wall that stood before him. He didn't really have much else to do, so he really did have enough time for it. But then again, no body really wanted to do homework.

The boy lay on the bed that was stationed right beside the window as silence spread onto his surroundings. Nothing was happening... Nothing seemed like it was going to happen.

He couldn't help but sigh as he rapped his claws against his now closed textbook. His eyes turned toward the door that lay on the other side of the room. His nose picking up a scent from down the hall.

Something was cooking... Well, of course something was cooking because Kagome had told him so... But strangely it smelt like noodles.

Maybe she decided to give in to ramen? ... But it smelt slightly different now.

Moments ticked by as he blankly stared off into space before he finally decided that it would do him some good to go check on the stuff he was supposed to eat tonight. With that, he got off his bed and walked to the door and out into the hall. The aroma of cooking noodles and other things he had forgotten about were spreading down the hall towards him.

He quietly walked down the hall towards the kitchen area and called out, "Oi!"

Instantly he heard a crash and spilling water resound from the floor of the room, making him rush there in a hurry. That sound didn't sound good... But would anything like that sound good at all?

The kitchen floor caught his gaze as he rounded the corner to where Kagome stood at the stove and the pot that had fallen was laying... in the middle of the floor?

Strange... the pot was laying about seven feet away from the girl, smack dab in the middle of the tiled floor.

In a way, it looked like she had thrown it randomly and it had landed on the hard surface. Or it could've just been floating there and had suddenly fallen.

Hah! Him and his kiddy imagination.

Inuyasha sent off the wild thought, eyeing the pot on the floor and then shooting a look at Kagome. Who seemed very surprised, and if not, scared.

"What the heck were you thinking wench?" he cocked an eyebrow, noticing that Kagome sent him a slight glare in return. Looked like the girl didn't take name-calling that well.

"None of your business," she frowned and turned back to the pot of noodles that were getting ready for serving. "If you want, you can wait for dinner."

"Almost ready?" Inuyasha asked, coming up from behind her and taking a peak into the hot pot.

"Yup," she answered, almost emotionlessly, but only the most observant people could catch the slight cheerful sound. "Now go away while I ready this stuff," she commanded, once again, pushing him out of the area and into the living quarters that shared space with the kitchen.

"Fine, ok," getting away from her shoves, he started on his own to the couch and flopped himself down when he got there. Quietly surveying her while she prepared everything. This had felt a bit awkward. He hadn't been treated like this since his mother, bless her soul, had passed on.

He frowned passively and turned his head to stare out the window to the glowing, setting sun.

Things were definitely going to be different around here. Maybe the idea of her staying here, _was_ a bad idea like he had first thought. Or maybe it wouldn't be?.... He wasn't sure what to think at the moment.

But even if things turned out bad, he would just have to remember that all clouds have a silver lining, right?

Right???

* * *

AN: Or maybe that cloud would fall on him _because_ of the silver lining since silver is heavy. XD

For those of you who are reading Lost and Forgotten, I have a feeling you want me to update that sometime soon. But then again, it looks like people are losing interest in it. I'm not blaming them, I think I practically killed the plot by now since I'm kinda getting tired of it. So I will be wrapping that up as quick as I can... but since I'm losing interest in it, that will also mean I might be putting off writing for it.

Hope you guys liked this chapter! I have this strange feeling that it looks like this chapter was a bit rushed, when in truth I spent a lot of time on this one. ::sigh:: I'll see what I can do to fix it though. Any suggestions for me on how to improve my writing technique? Please tell me! You can flame me, you can praise me, or you can just leave a comment. Just please review! It's the little blue button in the bottom-left corner. Hope to hear from any of you readers soon!


	5. Eavesdropping and Wind Problems

_Disclaimer: (sarcastic tone) Oh, yeah, sure! I own Inuyasha! In fact, he's sitting in my lap at this very moment. Isn't that right Inu? ::tweaks Inu plushie's ears:: XD_

_AN: The big group of italics is supposed to be a flashback, just so you know. _

_**Alternate Reality**_

_**Chapter 5**_

_**Eavesdropping and Wind Problems**_

Inuyasha sat against his chair, subconsciously tapping his pencil against the desk in front of him while his mind wandered. School was just as dull as ever and sensei really needed to learn how to keep a student's attention.

He looked around the room and noticed that everyone was paying attention. And to his amazement, it looked like the really spacey kids were paying close attention to her lecture. A very rare case.

Ok... She just needed to learn how to keep _his_ attention.

The hanyou drew in a breath of air while his eyes wandered to the blossoming tree that was standing outside. It was slowly starting to let go of the petals as stormful winds blew past it. The sky wasn't sunny at all, in fact it looked like it was going to rain sometime later in the day. The birds were hidden away to who knows where as well.

So far, all of his entertainment for the day just left him.

He silently sighed while his eyes wandered over his classmates again. It was last period, and all of them were _still_ paying attention. By now, at least half of the class would be slack and falling asleep right now. Why was today any different?

His eyes caught sight of the girl that sat beside him. A look of concentration was spread on her face while she took her notes silently. It was a bit odd to see her so quiet after what had happened last night.

* * *

"_Eat it!!" Kagome stuck a fork of the noodles she had prepared in front of Inuyasha's face. The boy was refusing to eat her cooking, claiming that it had smelt horrible. When in truth he thought it smelt wonderful. He just felt like pissing someone off. _

_Plus he wanted to see if she would crack in some strange way and slip up on something. _

"_No!" the hanyou pushed the fork from his vision, causing Kagome's hand to retreat for a moment before trying again. _

"_Eat it!!" she yelled, stuffing it again in his face. _

"_No!" _

"_Eat it!!!!" she slammed her hand on the table, making the silverware on her side of the table jump slightly. _

"_No!!!" he mimicked her move with both hands and stood up so that he was towering over her. _

"_You're acting like a baby!!'_

"_You're acting like a mother!!!" _

"_I have to! I'm taking care of a child here!"_

_Inuyasha silenced for a moment, he interpreted what she had just said in a way she wasn't expecting. His eyes widened and quickly dashed from her stomach and back to her face, "Y---you mean you're p-p--preg-"_

"_No!!" she screamed when she realized what he was going to say. And so, she took the opportunity to stuff a noodle-covered fork into his mouth in order to get him to shut up. She didn't acknowledge the small blush that was heating her cheeks. She had good reason to do so, it wasn't her fault he took it the wrong way. _

_Kagome stared at Inuyasha while she pulled the fork out of his mouth, leaving the thick noodles behind. _

_The boy's expression changed from irritated to a look that made him seem like he was thinking about something. All the while chewing on the food that had forcefully made its way to his pie-hole. _

_The girl in front of him stood, waiting for his reaction. "How is it?" _

_Inuyasha took another moment to chew before swallowing, "... It's decent," he couldn't deny it. Actually, they tasted as good as they had smelt. They tasted even better than his regular ramen. The impossible had just happened! Ramen had been overtaken by home-made noodles!_

_If this were a sitcom, people would be hearing angels sing "Hallelujah" on the TV right now. _

* * *

Inuyasha snapped out of his flashback as the ringing of the school bell echoed through the halls and rooms of the school. He pressed his ears flat against his head, shielding against the loud sound that had increased for him. Damn youkai hearing.

Students began to get out of their seats while the bell chimed once more, "Remember to study hard!" sensei called out, "Tomorrow's test will count on more than 25 of your grade,"

Inuyasha's blood suddenly ran cold when he was aware of tomorrow's events. _'Shit,'_

Kagome seemed to be the only one who noticed the tenseness around the hanyou while he packed his bags. In an unrealistic way, she could say she saw blue air following him as he cursed under his breath. The girl sighed while she stared at him. Apparently, he was the only one who hadn't been paying attention to sensei despite his youkai hearing.

'_Baka,'_

She might as well just let him borrow her notes after she was done. She was too nice to just let someone right in front of her fail.

Someone tapped her on the shoulder before she turned around to respond. Her eyes met up with warm, magenta colored orbs as the girl's face was covered with a smile. "Hey Kagome?" Sango questioned, taking a moment to eye the pervert who was standing behind her. He sighed nervously when she turned back to the girl she was talking to.

"Yeah?" she answered, packing some more of her books into her small bag.

"You wouldn't mind meeting us in the back again, would you?" she asked, still smiling while keeping her eye on Miroku and Kagome.

"Of course not!" she squealed in a happy way, a smile beaming on her face. She couldn't turn down a time to talk to people who were like her. And a plus, they were friendly, "I'll meet you there in a few minutes," she added and then watched while the couple made their way out the door and into the crowded hallway of students.

A short while after that, she heard a loud crack erupt from the halls... She could've sworn that it was the sound of a slap followed by the word "HENTAI!!"

Murmurs and short laughs and snorts were heard throughout the hallways while hurried footsteps were heard running down the stairs. Kagome's eyes widened in confusion.

What could that have been about? She took a moment to wonder while she stuffed the last notebook into her bag. It was poking out a bit, who really cared?

Kagome rushed out the door, unknowing to the fact that someone had heard Sango and her conversation of meeting. Inuyasha smiled coyly while she quickly rushed out of the room in frenzy.

Kagome... clueless Kagome...

A little snooping couldn't hurt right?

Especially if it was benefiting him with knowledge. And knowledge was a thing needed by everyone. It couldn't hurt by gaining a little bit more.

* * *

Kagome made her way to the back of the school, passing chatting students along the way as they filed out of the school. All the while bumping into a number of them while shoving her way to the back. How many people did this school have anyway?

She let the question lay on her head for a while, but then shooed it away as she exited the noisy crowd and entered the back schoolyard. The blossoming trees that stood around her wavered in the wind while dark clouds rolled in overhead. In a way, they looked like they were dying from the cold.

A sharp gust blew in through the air, sending shriveled sakura blossom petals to dance in the wind and carry off onto the ground. Another one blew in, this time sending Kagome's skirt to rise up and reveal the under garments she was wearing that day. "Eep!" Her hand quickly dashed to hold down the piece of rebellious cloth while screaming could be heard ahead of her.

"WHAT DID YOU _THAT_ FOR?!" If Kagome was hearing right she could say that was Sango's voice. She walked over to a small little shed that was standing right beside one of the trees. The voice seemed to be coming from in there.

A hard punch to the head landed on Miroku's noggin as he apologized while waving his hands in the air to ward her off. Kagome watched with wide eyes while she opened the door and walked into the small storeroom. What had been happening here?

At the notice of a new presence in the room, Sango turned a bright smile to Kagome, "Hello, Kagome!" she waved and allowed her to sit on the cabinet that was stationed next to hers.

Kagome obliged and set her bag down beside her, a smile formed on her face again when she looked back up. "So how's it going?"

* * *

Inuyasha poked around the bushes around the entrance to the storeroom. What were they doing in there?

From where he was stationed, he couldn't really hear everything they were saying. The door was only slightly open, enough to let some light in, and he was hiding behind a bush that was on the side of the building. Even his youkai hearing couldn't hear from there that well.

But then again, that was probably because the wind around him was making too much noise.

A cold shiver traveled through his body while he slowly made his way to the door... Or as close as he could get to it anyway. Luckily, that given position was right behind the metal barrier that was separating him from the others.

Luck was starting to take his side.

His ears twitched slightly as the sound of voices made its way to his ears. The first one, no doubt, being Kagome's voice.

"So you two saw me at the last meeting?" Kagome asked, she was happy from what Inuyasha could tell.

But what she just said struck him as odd. What meeting was she talking about?

"Yup," Sango beamed at the girl from her station on the taller cabinet. They had decided to meet in the back storage room outside, which explains why there were cabinets instead of chairs. "But we've known about you longer than that," Kagome blushed slightly, "Who wouldn't know about Kagome Higurashi?"

"A lot of people," she retorted, unknowingly to the hanyou outside. Her eyes staring off to the side in shame. In all truth, she didn't want to be known about throughout her society.

"Besides, I remember your face because this guy right here," she made a pointing gesture to Miroku, "wanted to ask you something," She shifted her gaze to follow the direction of her outstretched thumb.

Said boy sweat-dropped from the fierce glare that Sango was shooting at him. "What did I do?" he asked rather innocently.

"What do you think?" Sango's glare was now icy instead of fiery. She leaped off of her resting spot and walked over to the supposed pervert. He clearly backed away from the flaming lady in all caution of being awarded with another bump on his head. Of course he didn't want another one. He had lost so many brain cells thanks to those hits, that now it was starting to catch up with him.

Kagome blinked at them. She was utterly confused as to what was going on around here. "You wanted to ask me a question?" Miroku and Sango halted their silent feuding when she had brought the conversation back to that. "If you had one then ask it," she stated causing Sango to vigorously shake her head. The girl was doing that so fast it was surprising that she didn't get whiplash.

Miroku only smiled at Kagome's unknowingness while the girl behind him shot daggers through his back. "You want me to ask?" he made sure so that he had something to blame on after he did follow through. He would have a perfectly good reason so that Sango wouldn't strike him.

"Why not?" the girl shot him a confused look while Sango made neck cutting motions behind his back. She ignored her and answered, "Go ahead,"

The boy smiled cleverly and took a step forward. He took Kagome's hands into his and opened his mouth to speak. "Very well," he started, noticing that Kagome was now staring at her clasped hands, "Would you bear my child?" he finally spoke out as Sango struck him with her handbag.

Surprisingly, at the same time, Kagome managed to release a hand from his and connected it to his face. All which resulted with a loud clobbering sound that centered at Miroku.

... Poor boy... He was gonna be feeling that in the morning for sure.

Behind the door where Inuyasha stood, he silently fought the urge to punch the door down. Why he felt like that he didn't know. Nor did he care or notice. He just really wanted to punish his friend for doing that.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU ACTUALLY GOT THE NERVE TO DO THAT!!!!" Sango screamed in his face while she tugged him back up from the floor and started shaking his figure so his head would start going limp. "IN FRONT OF _HER _OF ALL PEOPLE TOO!!!" A growing rage could be felt through the air as moments ticked by... Very noisy moments thanks to the wind and Sango's loud screams.

Kagome blinked, wide-eyed at Miroku's condition at the moment. The poor boy was battered and limp from Sango's attacks. But in a way, it looked like he didn't really care. And that was probably the way he actually felt like at the moment.

Although, one thing was official...

It would be very surprising if he had more than half of his brain after Sango was done with him.

Kagome sighed and sweat dropped, urging Sango to calm down in the process of Miroku's battering.

On the other side of the door, Inuyasha's ears were being pressed flat against the top of his head from all the punches, screaming, and efforts of calming that was coming from inside the storage room. Each sound echoing loudly in his ears. My gosh... could they get any louder?

A cold, hasty wind rushed past him causing his body to shiver as a raindrop promptly landed on his ear.

Wait a minute...

Inuyasha blinked for a second and let his ears come back to their normal position on his head. What was going on?

It had suddenly become deathly silent from what his senses were telling him. Each moment that passed by sent anxiousness through his conscience. He could've just leaned forward a bit and allowed his eyes one peak to what was going on. But even that little movement could've given him away.

Silence still carried on... Until Miroku broke it.

"Someone's watching us," he said loud enough for the people around him to hear. It was almost impossible for Inuyasha to catch it but he had heard what he said. And frankly, it sent more shivers through him. This time they were cored from panic, not cold.

And they got stronger when they he heard footsteps heading for the door.

His youkai instincts were telling him to stay where he was since he could always stand up for himself. While his human side was telling him to run and not be labeled as an eavesdropper.

Guess which option he took.

Inuyasha quickly dashed away from his post, causing the ground that was below him to make a splashing sound since raindrop puddles were already starting to form. He mentally cursed at it and leaped for the school roof, leaving Miroku behind to stare out at nothing but scenery when he exited.

Luck was starting to leave his side

* * *

"No one's there?" Sango asked cautiously. Her once raging mood had suddenly died away when Miroku had made the warning. She knew that it wouldn't be good if they were caught with their secret. And she didn't want to risk letting anything slip.

Both girls took sign of the shaking of the boy's head. "No one," he answered, raindrops splattering against his face before he brought himself back inside. "But I think it was Inuyasha who was out their," he added.

A gusty wind howled through the air.

"Yeah, it was Inuyasha," his confirmation caused Kagome to stiffen.

Both Sango and Miroku took notice of her action as she flopped back down onto her cabinet. Worry and panic were swirling throughout her mind. Her eyes closing in thought.

Why Inuyasha of all people? If he heard anything he shouldn't then...

"What exactly were we talking about again?" her voice wavered slightly while her head drooped to stare at the floor. Things like this weren't supposed to be sad. What troubled was her was how she was going to deal with this when she to got back to her 'home'.

And how she would deal with it all if everyone she were associated with found out.

Miroku closed the door slightly behind him, silently recalling the previous conversation and everything that was said. Things didn't really look so well when he remembered the mention of 'meetings' in their conversation.

"Don't worry Kagome-chan," Sango assured, a slight smile on her face that would relieve anyone of their worry. "We didn't mention anything about it today," Kagome's eyes lifted to meet bright magenta ones. "So we don't have to worry," she patted her back in an effort to push a smile on her face.

Kagome complied and nodded her head, leaning over to stand on the cold, concrete floor. "Thanks," she added and picked up her bag from the floor. Raindrops were starting to pound like a stampede on the roof above them.

A groan escaped Kagome as she mentally slapped herself... Silly her... she had forgotten her umbrella at the apartment.

Sango and Miroku stared out at the partially open door and picked up their umbrellas, at the same time noticing that Kagome was left without one. "Do you need help getting home, Kagome?" Miroku asked, "We'd be happy to share our umbrellas with you," he smiled at her with that happy smile he usually took on when thinking of a certain someone.

If he were able to get rid of his umbrella to Kagome, then he would be left sharing an umbrella with Sango.

Oh Happy Day!

Kagome shook her head and smiled, "It's ok," she stopped her shaking and stepped towards the door, "I can make it back alright," .

Just then, a sudden downpour of heavier water raged on outside... Wonderful.

The girl pulled a face at the behavior the weather was displaying. Did nature really hate her? First it was the wind riding up her skirt... now this.

"Are you sure?" Sango asked, once again offering to share her shelter, "It's no problem with us if we have to share," she tried again while Kagome continued to gawk at the wet scenery before her.

The girl at the door turned around and stepped away from the door. "It's ok," she waved her hands in front of her, indicating that they really didn't need to offer. "I'll just wait a little longer for the rain to die down,"

"Are you sure?" Sango pushed on.

"Yes,"

"Positive?"

"Yes,"

"Really, really sure?"

"Sango," Kagome was starting to get bored of the same thing, "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine," she put on a bright smile to assure her.

Good thing for Kagome that it had worked.

"Ok," Sango gave in and picked her umbrella from her bag, "We'll be seeing you then," she said her goodbye and walked out the door and into the thick sheets of water that was raining down from the sky. All the way followed by Miroku, who had a trace of disappointment lacing his features.

Kagome took no mind to it as she set herself onto the table that was stationed by the door. Sitting quietly in the presence of the pouring rain. With nothing to do but ponder over her thoughts and stare out at the weather that was taking place in front of her.

And let's just say that it was only getting harder as time passed on.

The girl lifted her wrist to the front of her eyes to check the time on her watch.

"20 minutes," she murmured to herself, not expecting anyone to hear it. Not like she cared if anyone had heard her or not.

It was only 20 minutes since Sango and Miroku left and the rain was only getting harder while moments ticked by, lost forever in the stream of time. Kagome blinked at the rain. She could barely see past the first rows of trees from where she was.

Silence....

More silence...

Kagome was going to go crazy because of the rain-drenched silence...

"Forget it," she groaned to herself, picking herself off the table and grabbing her bag as she did so. It was getting boring around here and she was in desperate need to talk to someone other than herself. Even if it was the person that she was trying to avoid.

That's what silence does to you sometimes.

Actually, last night they had a rather decent conversation where she had managed not to slip up. Thankfully, it was about dreams and how penguins always seemed to show up in the hanyou's.

She chuckled to herself as she remembered that little bit. Why they had been sharing a conversation on dreams was over her. Well, if they were going to talk she would just need to act normal and make sure not to let anything out. Right?

Kagome stepped outside to stand under the little shelter that the overhanging roof provided for her. Rain was _still_ getting harder while she stood there.

The girl stood there for a moment, contemplating her actions. Should she resort to it? Or should she just walk home without using it? .... Well, there's no one outside to see what was happening now was there?

Kagome made her decision quickly, reasoning with her mind that she didn't want to catch a cold. It would have been a real pain if she had caught one, and she didn't want to deal with that during her stay here.

She took a step forward and into the rain letting moment pass by as she walked forward.

At least she wouldn't get wet.

:-:

AN: Hope this one satisfies you guys! Again, I feel like this was a bit rushed. It probably wasn't as good as the previous chapters, ne? I'm sorry! I really wanted to set up an update this week, but I guess I wasn't in my writing mood. Everything was so choppy and jumpy. ::sigh:: Well, it felt like that anyway. If it was, please tell me so I can fix it.

Or so I'll be more motivated to find a beta-reader... ::sigh::

R&R Please! I know I need to improve my writing style! Please leave tips on how to do so if you can!


	6. Rain drops are falling on my head

_Disclaimer: Oddly enough, I'm having fun with these. XD Anyway, no, I don't own Inuaysha... Or any of the other characters. Though, I wish I did. I would finally be able to show something off at school if that happened. XD_

_**Alternate Reality**_

_**Chapter 6**_

_**Raindrops are falling on my head **_

* * *

Nobody was around, so she was safe as far as she knew it.

She could hear the rain splatter and hit the ground like waterfalls as it made impact around her. It felt a bit odd walking around like this. By now it should've been natural to Kagome, considering how many times she had done it.

"Rain drops are falling on my head," she chanted quietly to herself with a bright smile on her face.

Such irony that song held.

"I don't know the rest of the words," she kept the same tune, "but, rain drops are falling on my head." She swayed her bag back and forth as she marched on through the untouching rain. Her eyes scanning the scenery around her for a few seconds before resuming her song.

"Rain drops are falling on my head,"

_"No they're not,"_

Kagome immediately ceased her tune and jumped slightly. The sound of whatever voice had spoken to her had certainly scared her.

Not to mention, it had also distracted her from concentrating on her thoughts. Which was what was keeping her dry. "Wonderful," she muttered under her breath while the rain started to beat down on her. She looked around carefully after that.

The streets were empty... it was only her, the wind, and the rain.

No sound was heard after that... only the heavy beats of the water drops falling from the cloudy sky.

Kagome felt her hair stick to the skin of her neck as she quickly darted glances in every direction... There was no one.

'_But I know I heard something,'_ she thought to herself, still on full alert to the area around her.

"_You most certainly did," _the same, deep, voice from before responded. Kagome instantly turned her head in the direction of the haunting sound.

There was nobody around her. The sense of presence told her so.

But her ears were telling her differently.

"Who are you?" she spoke to the disembodied voice, her eyes still watching for sudden movements that could be noticed through the raindrops that were now hitting her and running down her face.

Silence met her ears for a few moments. Nothing was happening. Well, nothing that she could notice anyway.

A raven perched itself on a gray, brick wall that stood on the other side of the road. Kagome took notice and glared at it, watching the creatures beady-little eyes return the action.

"_So you don't remember?" _voices were coming again. This time it sounded like it was coming from beside her ear. She flinched, feeling air breath against her as she retreated from her place. Backing away cautiously, this time feeling the presence approaching her.

It wasn't long until the voice resounded again, _"All the more better for you," _chills were sent crawling up Kagome's spine while every bone in her body screamed for her to move. For what reason, she didn't know.

Instinctively, she complied and moved to the right as fast as she could. Thankfully, she had made it in time.

A sharp pain developed on Kagome's left cheek as something sharp grazed by to slice the soft flesh. Had she not moved as quickly as she did, it might have struck the back of her neck instead of her face. And she would've been dead considering the sharpness of the object.

A painful screech of a bird filled the air as the rain continued to downpour. Kagome quickly dashed her vision to gaze upon the brick wall that stood as still as time did at the moment.

Her mind slowly registered the scene before her. A knife was lodged into the chest of the raven that she was once skeptical of. It's icy eyes screeching in pain as the feeling spread throughout its senses.

Kagome could do nothing but stare at it, horrorstricken. The raven's now lifeless body slowly slipped to the ground until it finally collided with the surface with a loud splash.

Rain continued to hit the ground and run down Kagome's body as her eyes scanned the raven once more, the lifeless pile of feathers lying there, unmoving.

That could've been her...

Time passed, and nothing changed. Kagome stood as still as a statue while blood flowed out of the raven's punctured chest. It's eyes forever frozen in time with that pained look... How horrible.

The presence that was formerly scaring Kagome to death slowly diminished into nothing as time passed. The rain grew stronger, but the girl's body was still stunned and was too scared to move.

Nobody could've blamed her. Shock was something that easily overwhelmed people. And something that people couldn't just as easily overcome.

Times like this that it was especially active.

Something in Kagome's mind insistently urged her to move. Blink, breath, at least do something to indicate that she was still alive. But she couldn't even manage that at the moment... What had just happened?

Footsteps could be heard splashing down the road. Coming in her direction while she was still stationary there. What was she doing? Kagome had no idea what she was supposed to do... or think.

The splashing grew louder in volume as her eyes turned to that direction. A figure could be seen walking, but through all of the rain she couldn't see who it was. But she didn't care who it was.

_'Run,'_

Her mind reminded her of her ability to move at that point and Kagome automatically took the opportunity. People would be thinking she was insane if she was standing perfectly still out in this weather. Without an umbrella no less!

The girl dashed down the road toward the apartment buildings, letting sprays of water droplets follow her trail. She had completely forgotten about keeping dry. But she didn't care.

The picture of the bleeding raven was still fresh and imprinted in her mind. The pain in it's eyes flashing through her mind.

All she wanted to do was get back to somewhere safe.

:-:-:

Inuyasha flopped down onto the couch in the living room of his apartment. Most people would consider it a condominium based on the size of it... Maybe it had been one, but he could've forgotten or never paid attention to the name.

A sigh escaped him. Of all the random things to choose from, why the heck was he thinking about that?

Quite honestly, he didn't know. He just wanted a distraction from the day's earlier occurrences. Especially with the aspect of getting caught looming over his head. That was not a very pleasing experience.

And it wouldn't be any better if Kagome found out it was him.

The hanyou let himself relax against the back of the couch while he instantly switched on the TV. First channel to come upon the screen was the news.

How wonderful... One of the most boring TV programs ever to air in the history of television.

Strangely, he found himself drawn to the reports. But that was mostly because he found this big urge to mock the headlines and reports.

"An armed robber has been spotted today," the newscaster on the box announced, "The man of age 35 was seen riding his motorcycle until he collided into the side of a house. But when police went down to investigate they found the motorcycle... but no driver."

Inuyasha scoffed and looked out the window, "Of course he was gone!" he complained, "Do you think he would just sit there for the police to come and find him?" he laughed, this time thinking of the idiocy going around in the world today.

Sometimes people just needed to avoid looking too deeply into things.

"Coming up after this commercial break," a male reporter this time, "reports about killings happening throughout the neighborhood, voices being heard in people's heads before they were struck, and the organization this is all linked to. We'll be back in a moment."

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow at that last headline. He'd never heard of that happening before. The communities around here had always been so peaceful; there hadn't been any killings for years.

'_Probably some wacko,'_ he thought to himself, _'And voices in people's heads? It's because they're going crazy. They probably walked into a knife or something.' _He shook his head knowingly, how were people so blind to the obvious?

His ear's twitched; picking up a sound that was coming from outside the front door. The doorknob quickly unlocked and the wooden barrier swung open to reveal a panting and panicking Kagome. Panicked because of the fact that she had slammed the door behind her once she got in.

Inuyasha eyed her as she keeled over slightly to catch her breath. "Forgot your umbrella?" he asked, not very concerned at the moment. He had to remember to act natural after remembering what happened earlier.

Kagome's eyes shot open at the sound of another voice and shot her head up to stare at the boy who was lounged on the comfy couch. Her breathing calmed and her eyes softened from their once panicked state. "Yeah," she laughed nervously.

A smile brightened her features as water ran down her hair and dripped down onto the tiled entrance. She noticed Inuyasha's eyes staring at a spot on her face as his features displayed something crossing concern and trying-not-to-care expressions. Her smile instantly began to fade.

"Is something wrong?" she asked cautiously, that look was starting to make her feel awkward.

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed on her cheek, "What happened to your face?" he quizzed. He felt himself get up from the couch and walk a bit closer to her. Though, not too close. It was more like 'across-the-room' close.

"Is something wrong with my face?" Kagome glared at him, taking his last statement as an insult. It certainly did sound like an insult from her point of view.

"I mean what happened here?"

She took note of Inuyasha pointing to his cheek that was mirroring hers as a response. Something suddenly stung on her face and her eyes widened in realization. She hadn't remembered the injury while she was on her way home. The girl was too worried about her own life than her injury.

Kagome gently touched her fingers against the slashed skin and retreated them to stare at the result.

Blood... Wet, sticky, blood resided onto her fingers and she gawked at it with worry. Inuyasha was doing the same.

"What happened?" his voice becoming softer as Kagome made her way to the kitchen to scrub off the color. He followed her lead a second later.

"Nothing," Kagome replied, maybe a bit fast for her liking, "I don't remember what happened," she lied, which in turn gave off the scent that told the dog all truths.

"I don't believe you," he rebuttled, "What really happened?" his eyes narrowed to a glare, Kagome took notice but disagreed with making eye contact.

"Nothing, really," she answered again in the same tone, the same scent was getting slightly stronger. Inuyasha sniffed the air to confirm it.

Kagome took a wet paper towel and proceeded with wiping off the sticky red substance on her face. It stung a bit, but she expelled the feeling. There were more important things to think and worry about.

Inuyasha stood there, still staring at her, waiting for her to crack or react for that matter.

Dead silence passed between them for a few moments before the news came back on TV. Inuyasha schooled his ears on the reporter's voice behind him and kept his eyes on watching Kagome.

"People have been claiming to have been struck throughout random parts of the day after hearing a mysterious voice in their head," the female announcer stated.

Inuyasha was surprised to see that Kagome had suddenly tensed up after hearing the headline. Was there something that bothered her about that?

"Certain persons have been treated for sanity and other emotional or psychological illnesses before and after strikes have occurred. Most have fortunately survived, but so far we have 5 victims who have died," Kagome was starting to tremble now. From Inuyasha's view, he could see fear growing in her eyes.

"There is only one thing that all victims had in common and that was part of a certain organization. The mentioned group will not be named due to confidentiality and will be unknown for the time being. We'll keep you updated," the report ended and another commercial break rang up on the television.

Kagome felt herself starting to breathe heavily. She hadn't really noticed her behavior until she felt Inuyasha's eyes pierce into her. He was watching every move she made, and that worried her.

The hanyou in front of her finally decided to break the silence that had befallen them again, "Is something wrong, Kagome?" she heard concern in his voice and shook her head in response.

"I'm ok," she replied, making her way around him to head to her bedroom. She just wanted to get this all cleared up in her head. Let all the news sink in while it had the chance to do so. But for Kagome, that time wasn't going to come as soon as she hoped.

"No you're not," he retorted and grabbed her arm without thinking. She stopped and glared at him, fear could be seen on her features at the same time as he let go of her. "There's something wrong. What is it?"

"It's none of your business!" she shot at him. She just wanted to be by herself right now. But her anger flew from her mind when Inuyasha backed away a bit, letting her know that she wasn't acting like herself. She sighed and apologized quickly before turning away and going to her room, bag in hand as she entered and shut the door behind her.

Inuyasha stood there staring at the place where she once stood in front of him.

What was wrong with her? Were those news reports bothering her? But what was wrong with them? All they said was that crazy people were being struck by killers, what did that have to do with Kagome?

His mind quickly flashed a picture of the wound on her cheek that she walked in with.

Had that been from a the 'supposedly' mentioned killer? His mind was on worry mode right now. Which was very rare in his case.

What happened to her that would cause her to act this way? It just wasn't like her.

His eyes took one last peak at the closed door down the hall, the one that led to the girl's room. That was when he turned his back on it and headed back towards the couch. Maybe she would be in a better mood when she came out to make dinner?

:-:-:

Kagome cuddled her head closer to her pillows and sunk into the covers of her bed. All that running and worrying had exhausted her greatly. Not to mention scared her to death when she was very close to death in one split second.

Except the poor raven had to take her end instead.

'_Why is this happening?' _she mentally asked, desperate for an answer though she knew she wouldn't receive it. _'Why are they after me?' _she cringed at the thought of a painful death from a dagger similar to the one from earlier.

That wouldn't be a pleasant way to die.

Kagome screwed her eyes shut when she plopped her head back on the pillow, this time putting her face flat on to it. Something in her mind told her something worse than that had happened before that. In fact, every part of her was telling her the same. But she had no idea what could possibly have happened before that. A mental tugging feeling could be sensed at the back of her consciousness, trying to remind her of what happened.

In a way, it was like she knew what happened before... but at the same time she didn't know.

It was déjà vu.

:-:-:

Inuyasha was still laying on the couch when Kagome had finally decided to come out of her room. Only difference from before was this time he was asleep.

Kagome stared at him from across the room while she boiled the water in the pot on the stove. He was so much different from nine years ago. The hanyou was a lot more persistent than she knew him to be in those few minutes of talking on that day. His emotions were hidden very well now so she couldn't tell what he was thinking. And he was always questioning everything and was so untrusting.

How did he end up that way? It only caused her job to grow even more difficult.

She sighed and returned her attention to the pot of boiling noodles, stirring it a few times before leaning on the counter again to gaze upon him.

Kagome wasn't doing this because she wanted to. It was more like something to distract her mind from her previous thoughts. And because of Inuyasha on her mind, this brought everything back to the hospital incident.

Another sigh escaped her and she closed her eyes momentarily. She had felt guilty when she had lied to him about her not meeting him those years ago. But it was for the best right? ... Ok, well maybe not, because it always got annoying when he would keep asking her about it.

Was there something about youkai senses that could tell if someone was lying?

Unknown to Kagome, the answer was yes. But Inuyasha didn't have any urge to tell her just yet. He might get to that sometime sooner or later.

Kagome quickly threw in some additions to her culinary creation on the stove as she heard Inuyasha begin to awake. Probably from the scent of food cooking. And who knew, she was right.

Footsteps were heard walking towards the kitchen and Kagome quickly hurried up her work before Inuyasha could lean over the counter to see what she was doing.

Good thing she made it in time.

As thought out, Inuyasha leaned over the counter and stared at the pot of food in front of Kagome and stifled a yawn. "Food ready yet?" he blinked a couple of times to get clear vision back to his eye sight.

Kagome turned toward him and planted a bright smile on her face. "It's ready," announcing it with such brightness that threw Inuyasha off by her sudden change in attitude.

The girl quickly dished out the food in the container and served it on the table, but left it there to tidy up the kitchen from all the cooking she had done.

Inuyasha, who had been starving ever since he got home, didn't bother to wait for Kagome to finish up before her started eating. So he dug in on his first chance.

And so silences were exchanged again between them, save for the few noises that Kagome's cleaning had caused. Other than that, it was very calm for the time being.

Until Inuyasha had noticed the bandage that had covered the scratch on her cheek anyway. "Are you ok, Kagome?" he asked, curiously.

The girl in the kitchen momentarily halted her movement before starting up again. "Of course I'm ok," she placed a masking smile on her face again. He just need to bring up her problems, didn't he? "Why do you ask?"

"You just seemed a bit shaken earlier," he answered, honestly.

The girl eyed him, a smile tugging on her lips, "You were worried?"

"Keh," he would never let his emotions show through, "Why would I be worried about you?" Kagome frowned a bit, but then disregarded it to continue her chore.

Silence again.

"But that news report," he started again, Kagome's eyes widened as her mind quickly dashed back to the incident on the street. "Did it bother you?" Inuyasha looked at her and noticed her sudden stop in movement.

Kagome was blank from remembrance. People who heard voices were being struck. And they were all a part of the organization. A horrifying thought suddenly occurred in her mind.

She was next on that list of murders.

Fear erupted in her mind as flashes appeared before her eyes. She was panicking again.

She replied without thinking, "I don't want to talk about it,"

Inuyasha's eyes widened, "So there _is_ something wrong," he stopped eating so that he could pay attention more fully.

"I didn't say that!" Kagome retorted and glared at him from across the kitchen. She could feel herself trembling under the serious look that he was giving her. Never in her whole week of staying there had she seen him look that serious. It was unnerving.

"But you just said that you didn't want to talk about it," he said, rather calmly than what you would expect from someone like him. His eyes were scanning her like he was searching for something. It bothered her.

Kagome stopped and racked her brain for something to say, "That-" but there was nothing else to say. She had given herself out, "that-" she stammered again and gave out into failure. She needed time alone again.

Inuyasha's ears flattened onto his head when he heard Kagome drop the pot she was holding at the sink and stalk off into the hallway. Without a second thought, he dropped his utensil and rose from his seat, following her direction. There was obviously something wrong.

A door slammed down that dark hallway and Inuyasha was still willing to walk on through it. Good thing he did though, because he noticed something that she might want to know if she was planning on locking herself in for the rest of the night.

"Kagome," he stared at the two doors that lay opposite on the sides of the hallways. One was closed and one was open. "You know you're in the wrong room, right?" The open door belonged to her. She had just locked herself into his room.

"What's your point?" she retorted rather hesitantly, she obviously didn't seem to care that she was in the bigger room.

"My point is: get out of my room," Inuyash glared at the closed door.

"I don't want to," she simply answered, positioning herself on the bed in the room while Inuyasha stood out there waiting. A smirk appeared on her face. Now she could be alone with her thoughts and try to forget the incident. What was better? She was in the better room!

Inuyasha shifted his focus to the open door on the opposite wall, "You're leaving you're room wide open,"

"Do I care?"

"I can just walk in, you know that right?"

"Go ahead," Kagome replied, nonplussed, "I have nothing to hide in there,"

She heard Inuyasha's footsteps walk away from the door in front of her and into her room. "Oh lookie here," he announced, making sure that she heard. His disembodied voice seemed to be acting cocky. "What a nice looking diary," he stated proudly, causing Kagome to snap. She had completely forgotten that that had been in there.

Inuyasha heard the door to his room slam open, Kagome was stomping out of his room and into hers. He smiled quietly to himself for his triumph, but the next events took him by surprise.

One moment she was out there... next moment she was in the room... then she instantly pushed him out of her room while screaming, "Get out!" Finally, she slammed the door and slipped down onto the floor in front of the entrance. Her head buried in her knees.

Great... now it wasn't safe to keep her room unguarded. That diary had held things that normal diaries wouldn't. And what was worse? Now Inuyasha knew that something important was in it. If it had been something to not care about she wouldn't have left the room just for that.

:-:-:

Inuyasha stumbled into the hallway when Kagome had all but pushed him out of her space. He was dumbfounded for a few seconds, but then the past moments sunk in. "What the heck was that for, wench?" he growled and he saw shadows appear under the door, indicating that she was sitting there.

"Go away!" she shouted, still not moving from her spot. She wasn't convinced to even budge. Her eyes scanned her room; it was dark because of the setting sun. The after glow of it all was slowly starting to dissipate to her disappointment. Now she would feel trapped with no way out.

Inuyasha growled again and stomped up to the door, "There's something wrong! What the heck is wrong with you?!" he demanded, Kagome was covering her ears from the loud shouting that she hated to hear.

"It's none of your business! Go away!" she screamed more motivated this time, Inuyasha's ears were starting to ring from her loud voice. He found himself backing away slightly when it had gotten too loud.

Dead silence was the only sound that occupied the apartment now... Nothing but eerie silence that tended to scare Kagome at times when she was alone.

Though silence was overwhelming her, her mind told her to keep concentrating on whether Inuyasha was still there or not. But she would find it hard to believe if he had left the hallway. He didn't seem like the kind of person to just give up on an argument, or anything for that matter.

Silence again... Until a plop was heard in the hallway behind Kagome's door. She leaned more relaxed knowing that silence wasn't going to continue.

"Geez," Inuyasha started, "What's your problem?" Kagome's eyes turned to stare at the dark, carpeted floor. "If something's bothering you, you should at least let somebody know about it." He let his head gently hit the wall behind him. How would she react to that?

"Will you just go away?" Kagome replied, quietly this time. It sounded like she was starting to give in a bit, despite her words.

"No," the hanyou answered casually, "I'm not leaving 'till you tell me what's wrong,"

"Why do you want to know anyway?" Kagome asked letting out a frustrated sigh, "It's none of your business and it wouldn't effect you... Why do you even care?" she was starting to quiet down and relax from the sound of it. Kagome could feel her body relaxing even more.

Inuyasha took a moment to think about he question... Why did he want to know? She was right: it wouldn't effect him. And he probably wouldn't even care. For all he knew, maybe she was upset for some stupid reason, like she felt sorry for the person who was killed and that's it... But then again, his instincts told him that wasn't it.

His mind only settled for one reason, "Because I'd feel guilty,"

Kagome blinked in confusion, "Why would you feel guilty?"

"I have no idea," that was completely honest. He really had no idea why that would be. Maybe it was because then she would be suffering in her mind from the looks of it... Something suddenly hit him at that thought... Was he getting soft?

He heard a sigh come from Kagome's side of the door. "You know... that's not a very good reason," she answered, shaking her head unseeingly.

"Well that's the only thing I've got," he replied, in a forceful tone to prove that he was telling that truth.

Another sigh from the room... "Ok," she gave in. Inuyasha waited patiently for her answer.

"If you drop the subject, I'll answer one question of yours truthfully and honestly," she closed her eyes, "I know you've been dying to get a certain answer out of me..." she added, feeling dread taking over her from that decision. But she just wanted him to go away, and because of that she was getting desperate.

Inuyasha stared at the door... It wasn't exactly the answer he had been expecting from her... But it was an even better outcome. Finally! A way to get the truth out of her.

"Is that a deal?" Kagome interrogated, impatiently waiting her 'doom' as she liked to call it for the time being. She would rename it sometime later.

The hanyou on the other side sat in silence for a second, creating more tension for the girl, "Fine,"

Kagome sucked in a deep breath and let it all out slowly. _'Here it comes,'_

:-:-:-:-:-:

AN: I hope this chapter satisfied most of you who have been waiting for Kagome's 'admition,' as I like to call it. Though, I'm hoping I'm not moving things along too fast. I was planning on delaying this a bit more, but I didn't really know what to do in between. So this decided to play in earlier than expected.

If you consider this a cliffhanger, sorry. But I'm pretty sure you all know what question Inu is going to ask next chapter, ne? Quite obvious isn't it? ::sigh:: I have no creativity. ::cries::

I had problems fixing up the scene where Kagome is in her room, thinking. There were lots of mess ups that I wasn't originally intending to include when I first wrote it. So I had to fix it and then it got really confusing. So I'm sorry if it's a bit confusing there. I tried my best to fix it though.

I remember that some of you asked questions a while ago that I never got the chance to get to before. Gomen! That was my fault because I forgot them. Anyway, someone asked how old they are? Well, Miroku is 16, Inuyasha is 16, Sango is 15 and a half, and Kagome is 15. But she might turn 16 sometime during the story. I'm having ideas for that little twist.

Any other questions will be answered sometime in the story... Or I just don't have an answer for your question yet. ::sweatdrop:: Anyway, please review! I thank the majority of you that are taking the time to send comments. It's honestly helping me think of my own technique. :-) Please send more!


	7. Confusion

_Disclaimer: I will never own, or attempt to own Inuyasha. If I did, all of you would be left with an incomplete story seeing as how all my fanfics never seem to get finished... I will work on my problems. ::sweatdrop::_

_**Alternate Reality**_

_**Chapter 7**_

**_Confusion_**

* * *

The hanyou on the other side sat in silence for a few seconds, his mind taking in the happenings that were going on before him. Here he was, taking the chance to get all the things that haunted him for the past nine years gotten straight. His conscience only had one question for him before he asked his own. Would he be ready for the answer?

_Hell yeah!_

He heard Kagome take a deep breath, still waiting rather impatiently for him to ask so that he would go away. But for some strange reason unknown to him, his mouth wasn't willing to make out the words he was so eager to say... What the heck was wrong with him?

"Are you still there?" Kagome spat, frustrated from the tension most likely.

Inuyasha glared at the door, "No," he answered sarcastically, "I'm outside, I'm not here," a smirk played out on his face while his head rolled from side to side on the wall behind him.

"Will you just ask your question?" Kagome shut her eyes and blocked the sounds that the rain had caused outside her translucent curtains. "It's really nerve racking being on this side of the conversation," she hugged her knees closer to her, ears perking up to listen for any sort of response.

"Give me a sec," he paused making Kagome give a rather loud sigh. He was still trying to make up his mind on which question to ask. But the same one kept on bothering him and was starting to beg to be put into words.

"How hard is it to ask?" the girl's exasperated voice was starting to give way to something unknown to him.

"Hold on," he answered, nonplussed by her try at an insult. He scanned the dark door before him again before taking in a deep breath and forcing his mouth to form the right words.

"Were you the girl who came to the hospital nine years ago?" The hanyou had finally gotten himself to say it, this time knowing that he would get the right answer... But the few moments after that were what troubled him.

Silence filled the hall... not to mention the whole living space.

Kagome wasn't answering... But she didn't want to answer.

The girl found herself sitting against her door in complete silence. She didn't notice the fact the she wasn't moving anymore... or breathing. Every nerve, bone, and muscle in her body was telling her to prolong the silence so that she wouldn't have to answer.

Maybe if she stayed silent long enough he would forget?

Of course, she knew better than to think that. He had been asking her the same question at least once a day for the past week, and now he was gonna get the truth out of her. No doubt he wouldn't let that offer slip by.

Kagome let her head loll to the side and she breathed deeply, drawing the air she needed to answer. "Yes..." she replied to the silence that awaited her, "I am..."

She turned her head around to look behind her but came face to face with the white painted door instead. Stupid her, she'd forgotten the door was there.

There was silence again as Inuyasha smiled to himself, letting the information sink in.

Silence was such a tempting thing sometimes.

Right now, that silence was tempting Kagome to unlock the door to see his reaction. But she would have to fight it if she wanted to stay alone.

But silence was something a person could easily give into temptation for. Which in turn, caused Kagome to get up from her seat and set her hand on the doorknob. She twisted but stopped mid action when she heard Inuyasha get up from the station he had taken on the hallway floor.

He took the pleasure of turning the rest of the doorknob and opening it. Kagome stared at the gap that the ajar door formed and saw a smirk on his face, then she glared. That smile just screamed, _'I KNEW THIS WHOLE TIME!!'_.

She shook her head at him and turned away, letting herself slump against the door in an effort to close it against Inuyasha's strength. Then again, she was only human, what did her strength have against a hanyou's?

Surprisingly, a lot for Kagome.

She blinked a couple of times when she heard grunts from keeping the door open come from Inuyasha's side. That was odd... Was she that strong? Or was he just holding back?

Inuyasha pushed against the door more motivated than he was before. He wasn't expecting her to be that strong, so he had only held the door half-heartedly.

Kagome kept on pushing backwards against his strength. What the heck was he doing? He asked his question, he got his answer. What more did he want from her?

"You promised you would go away," Kagome grunted as she pushed against the door, his feet were starting to slip against the carpeting now.

"I will after you answer one more thing,"

Kagome peeked her head to the side to look at him, "You made a deal, only one question, only one answer that was truthful and then you'd go away!"

"I changed my mind!" he shouted so that he was sure she would hear, "Two questions, two answers and then I go,"

"You can't do that!" glared at him and sent one last effort of strength against the door, causing the knob to click when it made contact with the frame. Kagome quickly locked it and sighed with relief, mentally wiping off the sweat on her brow. Now she could relax and be left alone with her thoughts.

Inuyasha, on the other hand wasn't planning on giving up anytime soon. "Will you just listen?!" he pounded on the door with force. Kagome just ignored it as she plopped down onto her bed. He would go away in a moment if she just stayed quiet...

At least that's what she thought.

The hanyou halted his pounding, finding that it was getting him no where, and took a step back to stare up at the top of the door frame. A glint of metal suddenly flickered in the dark hallway and a smirk drew on his face. She wasn't expecting that now was she?

Kagome sat on her bed, noticing that the pounding had stopped. Now she was just listening for Inuyasha's leaving footsteps to signal that the coast was clear... Unfortunately, that wouldn't be coming any time soon.

A sound of metal scraping against metal could be heard from the hall. Kagome's eyes darted to the door instantly when the short sound had stopped. She examined the scene as quickly and thoroughly as possible and that's when she noticed something move.

The lock was unlocking.

There was undoubtedly a key to her room that he didn't tell her about.

The girl was about to lunge for the doorknob across the room but it was too late. Inuyasha opened the door and let himself in. He was invading her private space and time. His eyes were digging into her as she gawked at him in disbelief.

Kagome did the only thing that seemed reasonable at the time.

"CHEATER!!"

Her hand quickly found a nearby book and she threw it forward with all her strength towards the door. Inuyasha was still standing there when he found that the object was flying towards him. His hand flew out and caught it before it made contact with him and threw it down to the ground with a thump.

"Why won't you just leave me alone?!" Kagome screamed, her hand groping the bed for her pillow so that she could hit him with it. Sure she was angry, but she wasn't really the kind who liked violence. And those ears looked awfully sensitive.

"Why did you lie?" Inuyasha asked before her hand ran across the surface of her weapon. She stopped when she was reminded that she had been lying to him the whole time. Her eyes widened and she gawked at him, looking for words that would get him to leave.

But she settled for the only thing that made sense, in a rather twisted way, "I don't know..." she answered, eyes downcast to the floor. She didn't want to look at him.

Inuyasha sniffed the air. The scent was there again. "You're lying,"

"There was the second answer you wanted," she retorted.

"You were lying though," Inuyasha stared at her. She shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. The golden eyes were piercing into her again. She wanted so much to tell the truth so that he would finally stop asking... but she knew she couldn't do that.

She heard him speak again, "If you're really the girl who I met before," he turned his gaze so that he stared above her head, "Will you just tell me how you survived?"

Kagome looked at him. Every bone in her body was telling her to keep her mouth shut. But her mind was telling her to tell him. She was torn at this point.

"I can't tell you," she answered. The surroundings were so silent that she didn't even notice him walking toward her.

Two clawed hands gripped her shoulders and her eyes looked up at him. That's when she noticed the emotions in his amber orbs.

He was worrying... not to mention frustrated. For all she knew, the fact that she had disappeared like that probably bothered him for the past nine years.

Her suspicions were correct.

His eyes narrowed on her, making her want to look away, but for some reason her muscles weren't complying. "Do you know how much this has bothered me?" he asked, Kagome's eyes widened. "Nine years and I haven't stopped thinking about it,"

Kagome felt a bit guilty from that, Inuyasha continued, "Then here you are again and you won't even tell me what happened," he shook her gently, her eyes widened more. Now guilt was starting to gnaw at her. She shook her head, Inuyasha noticed.

"Then will you at least tell me why you can't tell me?" he searched her for some kind of reaction other than the wide eyes that she was giving him.

"I can't tell you that either," she murmured under her breath.

"Why not?!"

"Because you'd regret it!" she could feel herself on the verge of running away, finally having the nerve to look away from him. She could tell that had confused him.

Inuyasha blinked at her... Regret it? He blinked again... How would he regret hearing an answer to how a little girl fell out a window five stories up and survived?... This was ultimately confusing.

"... How would I regret it?" he noticed that he was still gripping her shoulders and took them off of her.

Kagome shot him a quickly glance and shook her head. "It's hard to explain..." she trailed off, "And I can't do that either," Inuyasha glared at her again. She was acting as if anyone knew that answer, then it would mean death for her... or something equally bad.

Inuyasha's mind trailed off on the information, letting it all sink in. She had just admitted that she was the person he had met a long time ago... In a way, he still couldn't believe that despite everything that proved it, he had still thought for her to be a ghost. But even if she wasn't a ghost it had to be something else.

Kagome glanced up at him again, this time he didn't seem to notice. Heck, he was too deep in thought to notice much. She took note of it and felt something tugging at her chest. In the back of her mind, she wanted to clear up everything with him so that he wouldn't be bothered and confused anymore. It wasn't usual for him to be this way, right?

All she knew was that Miroku and Sango mentioned he had only started acting a bit off lately. Maybe it was because she came back?... Why had she come back anyway? She was just told that she was going to be moved and so she did.

Inuyasha's eyes bore into her again; she realized this and shifted slightly. It was still uncomfortable to think how he would react. But relief suddenly rushed to her when he turned away from her and headed toward the door.

"Thanks," he muttered under his breath quietly but loud enough for her to hear. She seemed a bit shocked from that. Was he thanking her for clearing some things up?

Or was he thanking her for nine years ago?

She let it go when he shut the door behind him and headed into the hallway. The girl could feel her body relax from tension she didn't know she was holding... But then tensed up again when he peeked his head back into room.

"Can I ask one more thing?" He smiled sheepishly, completely different from what he had looked like just a few seconds earlier. It spooked her out in a way. How could somebody change how they feel so quickly?

"Haven't you gotten enough out of me for today?" at least her attitude was coming back. Inuyasha mentally felt a bit of relief from the earlier conflict, the one before the whole 'question' incident. It felt weird to see her all gloomy, especially since she was so bright during other times of the day.

"More like a favor," he continued, getting out of his thoughts, "Can I borrow your notes?" Kagome's eyelids slumped a bit from his simple request. Probably disappointed in the fact that he had dozed off in class today, and that she basically did all of his work for last period. Instead of regularly handing it to him she preferred to throw it.

"Don't expect this from me all the time," she glared at him.

Inuyasha caught it before it hit him, "Don't worry," he was closing the door again, "I don't like asking favors from you.... It's weird," The door clicked leaving the girl behind in her room with her thoughts like she had wanted.

The boy paced down the hallway, and with one last glance turned the corner into the living room where his dinner had been left. He stared at it... and then left it sitting there, settling for the couch placed by the far wall.

He flopped onto it and leaned back against the cushion. A sigh escaped him as he returned to his thoughts. The answer had been presented to him without too much trouble. His mind could relax.

But why did it seem that it only stirred up more thoughts?

Inuyasha held a hand against his forehead and closed his eyes. There were so many thoughts that would occupy his curiosity now. He didn't even want to think about all the trouble that would cause him. Not to mention, it would probably cut into his schoolwork if he kept on thinking about outside things.

On the subject of schoolwork, there was still that test he had to study for tomorrow.

He glanced down at the notebook he was gripping in his hands and smiled to himself. With Kagome's notes he would definitely ace the test tomorrow. With the last thought he snapped the book open and started absorbing the information in it.

:-:-:

The test was hell!

Inuyasha groaned in his seat as sensei passed by and took his paper off his desk. That was probably one of _the_ biggest tests of the year and he had most likely failed it.

He turned his head to the girl who gave him her notes. The one that was sitting right next to him.... He blamed her for his failure.

She sat there smiling as sensei took her paper and relaxed against her seat before noticing the glare Inuyasha was giving her. "Is something wrong?"

"You have got to be the _worst_ note taker ever!" He growled at her, eyes still narrowing on her. Everything from yesterday's conversation had been forgotten. Making her feel guilty was all he was planning on doing today.

Kagome raised an eyebrow at him and looked at his desk, her notebook was sitting there from when he had taken it out after the tension period. "I get that a lot," she replied casually. "It's not my fault that you didn't pay attention yesterday," she mimicked his glare and tilted her chair back a bit.

She had a point, but Inuyasha wasn't going to let her know that. But still, "You're notes are so frickin' vague and pointless!" he was starting to growl at her, "How can you even learn from these?" he threw back the notebook so that it landed on her desk.

Kagome returned her seat to its normal position and flipped through the pages of her notebook. "I don't see anything wrong with it," she replied, a blank look on her face.

"What do you mean there's nothing wrong with it?!" Inuyasha was standing from his seat now. Nobody cared that he was starting to rampage though. All of them were too busy packing up their stuff since school ended early today.

"How does 'They fought somewhere south' help anybody?" he flipped the page and pointed to the exact sentence he was reciting. Kagome leaned forward and noticed that he was right. She had forgotten she wrote that. A mental sweat drop was starting to form on the back of her head.

"Well, I'm sorry it didn't help you," she stood up to size him but was still shorter. "But it's not my fault I memorize stuff easily," she sat back down and packed away some of her supplies.

Inuyasha gaped at her, "You _memorize_ all of this?" he pointed to the history book that was sitting on her desk.

"Yeah," she answered matter-of-factly, "It's really easy to do, you just need to be interested," the girl slung her bag to her side and got up again.

"You're actually in to this stuff?" the hanyou started waving around the rather thin textbook in the air. A nod was what answered his question, his eyes were wide and glaring at her.... "I can't believe you..."

"Believe it," she commanded and met up with Sango at the door. "I'm just gonna pick up some stuff and then I'll be home ok?" she made sure he heard and received a nod from him. A smile graced her lips as she followed the older girl out the door, not caring if anything bad would happen later in the day. If it were to be that way, at least she wouldn't be alone.

Miroku and Inuyasha were the only ones in the room now. Sensei had already left and they were by themselves. And it didn't take long for the hanyou to notice that Miroku's eyes were narrowing on him.

Turning to his side he returned the stare with as much curiosity he was receiving, "What?"

"Why is she telling you when she'll be home?" Miroku had a sly look on his face. It was obvious he was suspecting something.... Or he was thinking about something else that disturbed the hanyou.

An eyebrow raised, "I have a feeling you're thinking of something wrong," he tapped a claw against his forearm when he had folded his arms.

Miroku waved his hands around, "No, it's nothing bad." He tried his best to assure him, but the convincing just wasn't getting through to the other boy. "But, would you two happen to be..." he stopped making Inuyasha speculate him.

"Happen to be... what?" he continued when the atmosphere had gotten quiet, now walking through the empty hallways of the school.

"You wouldn't happen to be dating her? Would you?" That had almost made Inuyasha choke on his own breath... Actually he did choke on his own breath...and now he was pounding his chest while coughing vigorously.

Miroku only snickered at the reply. He hadn't been expecting that.

Inuyasha groped the side of the wall to pull himself up against the windowsill. His eyes were glaring at his friend. What the heck gave him that idea?!

"What the hell are you talking about?!" he barked, not really caring if anyone had heard the language he was using on school grounds. The teachers wouldn't bat an eye at it now that the schoolday was over. Plus, they were pretty much used to it.

Miroku halted his steps and let his friend catch up from his little fit. "Well, I just figured that since she told you that... Plus, she's been the first one to actually talk to you and not make you blow up within a week." The ponytail boy shook his head in surprise as if the impossible happened. "I'd say that's a new record,"

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed and turned to the window. Silence passed between them as they exited the building... Until Miroku brought up the subject again, "So, why was she telling you that information again?" his curiosity never died, did it?

"If you really wanna know, it's because she's living with me," he'd said that so calmly that Miroku didn't know whether to take him seriously or not. But nevertheless, he took it that Inuyasha wouldn't joke around about this, and backed up a small distance from his friend. Eyes as wide as dinner plates.

The hanyou noticed the act, "What dirty thoughts do you have in your head now?" his voice was getting icily irritated now. Miroku decided not to continue the conversation from there. He always knew what would happen after he heard that certain tone from him.

"Nothing, nothing," he quickly replied and looked up at the sky before the boy became even more agitated. How fortunate that he decided to take that action, because Inuyasha had promised himself that if he asked another question having to do with that, he would seriously do something that—that—... He didn't know what he would do yet, but it would be bad. For him anyway.

A short ten minutes passed before he changed course towards his house and Miroku parted with him. A sigh escaped him as empty buildings passed by him, silently.

Why was it always silent? He growled in an attempt to cause something to happen, but alas, there was nothing. Not that he really expected something to happen anyway.

His mind quickly flashed back to the conversation that him and Miroku were having. Though, he didn't know why he was pondering over that particular topic. The thought of dirty talk coming from the pervert always made him want to hit him... or hit something if he wasn't there to receive it.

But there was something that stood out for him. Was he right?

"_It's only been a week and I've been able to talk to her like this?" _he walked in thought as cars started to pass by him. He didn't mind the noise that much at the moment, actually he didn't even notice the cars passing by. There was too much to think about.

.... Let's see.... It took about a month before he was ok with Sango's company. But it was even worse with Miroku. It had taken him two months before they actually became friends. But that was because when they first met, the boy wouldn't stop talking and it had gotten on his nerves. He would always talk about pointless stuff.... That's getting off topic now.

Maybe it was the fact that they had met long before that, that he was able to accept her so quickly.... But even before then he wasn't completely sure if she was the girl from before. For all he knew, they could've met sometime nine years ago by mere coincidence. It could have been a spotting at the grocery store and she had remembered him because of his ears.

From experience, he learned that everybody he knew identified and remembered him by his ears. His friends would always pick him out of large crowds of youkai by spotting the appendages. Maybe she jumped at the sight of him because of those.

But now that he knew for sure that it was her he didn't know what start thinking about first.

Another frustrated sigh as he neared the apartment complex. So much to think about now... it was starting to cause a headache.

....Wonderful...

:-:-:-:-:-:

AN: Heh-heh! Hope I got this up quick enough for you!

Anyway, I started working on this as soon as I posted up chapter 6. I hope the whole plot isn't going to fast for any of you. I have a feeling that I'm forcing it all into one big chunk of plot and story time. ::sweatdrop:: I'm not exactly sure if that's a good thing since I'm the writer and don't have an accurate opinion because I criticize myself on everything! Please tell me what you think.

Also, do you think the characters are out of character? There's a little voice in the back of my head telling me that they're not acting the way they're supposed to. And that makes me cry (mentally) a bit. ::sigh::

I want you people to give me your opinion on something very important. Do you think it would be better to move this story faster? Or slower? Suggestions please if you have any!

That's enough now, it's getting too long. Till next chapter!! Please Review!!


	8. The Other Side of the String

_Disclaimer: I would never even attempt to own the series of Inuyasha. That would be impossible for me seeing as this fanfic is running into writer's block and not flowing as smoothly as I hoped. ::sweatdrop::_

_AN: Had a hard time coming up with a title. So if it doesn't make sense, I'm sorry!_

**_Alternate Reality_**

**_Chapter 8_**

**_The other side of the string_**

It was midday afternoon when Kagome was going on her way back to the apartment buildings. The sun was shining brightly unlike yesterday, and the birds were happy to get out that morning. A smile lit up the girl's face as she passed all of this.

Something to make her forget that yesterday ever happened.

A wind gust blew by her, playing with her raven locks and sweeping the stray flower petals into the air. Kagome had to narrow her eyes slightly since the air was blowing straight into her face. But she couldn't say that she disliked it. Actually, it was really peaceful and calming.

She sighed quietly to herself. Why couldn't everyday be like this? Peaceful and calm, that's what she liked. As long as there were birds chirping or something similar to that then she wasn't afraid of the quiet atmosphere.

"Kagome?" the girl jumped a bit from the sudden call.

Sango, who had been following her friend the whole time, picked up her pace so that she was now walking beside Kagome instead of behind her. A bag of groceries were being carried in her hands, copying Kagome as she did so with hers. "You're really quiet today. Is something wrong?"

Kagome blinked. Was she too absorbed in her own little mental world? "No, there's nothing wrong," she answered and smiled to back it up.

Sango's concerned look softened, "You looked really jumpy this morning too. Are you sure everything's ok?" Sango was apparently the type of person who cared for her friends greatly. It was a kind of trait that Kagome enjoyed.

"This morning?" Kagome echoed and pondered momentarily. Was she acting that way this morning? She hadn't noticed really… That morning she was too worried about everything that had happened yesterday.

Oh… That was probably why she seemed jumpy.

"Heh-heh," she chuckled nervously to herself, "Don't worry about it, Sango," she shook her head since she couldn't wave her hands. "I'm alright," she decided to stare up at the trees in case her looks decided to betray her.

"If you say so," The other girl replied, still a bit worried but decided to let it go. Staring off into the far reaches in front of them as they walked. The smell of running cars was penetrating the air. Ick…

"But-"

Sango turned back to Kagome from her cut off.

"But did you hear the report on the news yesterday? The one about the killings that had to do with--?" she stopped there, eyes cast down to the ground as she cradled her newly bought items. A look of slight worry was starting to come across her face. Sango couldn't have missed it.

"Yeah," she answered, still watching Kagome for a reaction. "Are you worried about that?"

Kagome snapped out of her dazed look, "Why do you think that?" immediately a bit flustered from even bringing it up. Maybe she shouldn't have mentioned it.

"Well, you asked about it,"

…Good point…

Kagome took a moment to think. "I was just wondering is all," she stared up at the sky again, avoiding Sango's gazes. One part of her mind was telling her to confide in her friend for guidance through her worries… But the other side of her mind was telling her that attempts like this would probably never happen again and talking about it would only worry her…

… And possibly report it. The last thing she needed was the organization getting worked up over her.

"Ok," Thankfully, Sango had let it go to Kagome's relief. She didn't want to keep going on about that.

The magenta-eyed girl stopped in her tracks, in turn causing Kagome to stop at the notice. "This is where I leave you," Sango smiled at the other girl and waved to her as she turned towards a neighborhood around the corner. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

Kagome nodded in reply, but was getting the sudden urge to ask Sango to walk the rest of the way with her. She could still feel that queasy feeling from yesterday, but it got worse when she was alone and in public.

Sango, completely unaware of the inner conflict, disappeared from sight behind a block of houses while Kagome was left staring after her. The sudden feeling of fear welling up in her as she started on her way again. This time her pace was gradually speeding up as time passed by with no one around her.

It was certainly uncomfortable.

Especially when you could hear any kind of voice in your head at any time.

She cringed at the very thought of voices and quickened her steps again. Not noticing that some food was starting to slip out of the paper bag that she was carrying. Kagome only became aware of this when the crash of packaged noodles resounded from the ground on impact.

Her steps halted and her vision faltered from the sudden stop. The soft sound of crashing behind her managed to snap her out of her trance and instead caught all of her attention.

Kagome stared at it, the look of worry and fear was long gone from her features. The noodle packet was still on the ground. But Kagome couldn't pick it up. The bag that she was holding was taking the effort of both arms to hold and she didn't have any urge at all to put it down and pick it up again. It was too heavy to do that.

Seconds passed by as she thought about picking it up but she had always stopped herself from moving for some reason. With one last idea, she looked from side to side to make sure that no one was around to see her and her trick.

With a beckon to the inanimate object, the noodle packet slowly rose in the air. Kagome watched as it was suspended in the low atmosphere and rose up to her eye level. Then it slowly started coming in the direction of her and the bag. Dropping itself into the pile of food that was being contained, it became lifeless once again, unmoving and unwilling to do that again.

Kagome smiled from gained time and fortune. Usually, someone would walk in on her and would force her to drop it and pick it up by hand. Thankfully, it didn't happen this time. Someone up there must have been smiling at her.

_"I've found you,"_

Or maybe not.

The girl froze from her attempts to continue on her way… That couldn't have been---could it?

_"Indeed it is,"_

Kagome gasped from fear and shock from the voice's bitter and cold tone. Her mind urged her to flee from her chosen spot in public, but her body refused to comply. She was stuck in the presence of the ghost again.

_"Are you afraid?"_ the disembodied voice asked tauntingly. Kagome narrowed her eyes and stared off into oblivion as fear gripped her heart and nothing but the voice and her beating pulse pounded in her ears. Nothing could have hidden her emotions. She was truly scared right now. In a way, it seemed like nothing else could scare her as much as a haunting voice that wanted to kill her.

_"What makes you think I want to kill you?"_ The girl stopped breathing at that point. It was only then that she realized the voice could read her mind. Though, it made sense if it was in her head, it would also be possible for it to penetrate her thoughts.

Kagome's lungs were starting to burn from holding her breath. She didn't know how much longer she could hold it for. And her efforts didn't seem like they would last for long. But she kept on urging her body to bear it so that she could live to see the next day.

But if she did that, then she would just die of suffocation instead of murder.

Finally gathering the courage to intake breath, she opened her mouth to speak. "Who are you?" her voice cracked slightly from the pain of fear that was gradually growing in her mind.

_"You asked that last time,"_ the voice answered boredly, _"I didn't answer then. Why would I answer now?"_ Kagome froze again. She was talking to a voice that was trying to murder her.

So far all she could tell about it was that it sounded like a man. A very serious man. Not the kind of person you would expect to go around killing people. At least he didn't sound like some kind of crazy, deranged person. But that was only judging by voice, and she was hoping to never be judging by looks if this voice had a body attached to it.

The wind whipped itself in rough patterns as time passed by. Kagome didn't dare budge from her spot or make any attempt to move for that matter. What would happen to her if she tried to escape from her assassin?

She'd get killed that's what.

The air flailed harder with each second, the welcoming feeling that it had held a while ago was gone. Now it felt like it was full of hostility towards anyone that happened to be around. That counted for Kagome as well.

The girl had to shut her eyes against the air before tears started forming.

But they shot wide open at the sudden pain that was forming on her cradling arms.

Kagome stayed silent and unmoving for a moment. Trying to take in what had just happened… The same way that she was absorbing a certain scene into her mind the day before.

It took her a moment to realize that the sharp winds had been the cause of this.

The grocery bag had dropped out of her arms when the deep slash that tortured her started to grow in pain. From the looks of it, it was bleeding pretty badly too. Her hand clutched at it, trying it's best to stem the flow of the small amount of bloodshed.

Another fatal gust zoomed by in a sharp manner, this time slicing itself against her leg. Flaming surges of pain erupted from the wound as the following gusts brushed against it. Kagome found it amazing that she was able to hold her screams. Instead of voicing out her pain, she flinched at each sharp scrape that grazed by her.

Her thoughts had completely forgotten the presence of the disembodied voice to instead keep focused on nursing her wounds. The wind kept on wounding her like blades of ice, and to her horror the voice resounded in her mind again.

_"Are you ready to see the after life is like?"_

Kagome's eyes shot wide open, this time finding the reason to move out of the paths of the wind. But the voice did not leave her despite her fleeing, neither did the wind.

_"You realize that running is useless?"_ he reasoned with her, intimidating her with each second that passed between them.

Kagome didn't care if it was useless. She just wanted to get into someone's sight so that all the pain might stop. Whoever was doing this would know of the rules that were laid out for all of them and would stop in the presence of someone different.

And then, hopefully, that person would be willing to help her.

_"There's nobody outside for miles,"_

She didn't care! She just wanted to get to somewhere safe; somewhere that she knew everything would be all right.

Another painful wind brushed against her ankle, breaking the skin and causing the red, sticky blood to drip out.

"Ahhh!" Kagome had put pressure on it once she had realized the wound was there and pain had automatically shot up her leg. It was painful, obviously. But if she needed to get somewhere safe quickly, that would be very difficult with a wounded ankle. She would have to limp all the way to who-knows-where, and by then she probably would have been cut up too badly.

Kagome put up with the pain in her leg and let herself sprint down the sidewalk that she knew would lead her to somewhere tranquil. At least she hoped it would.

_"You won't get there in time,"_

She still didn't listen to the hauntings. She didn't care if it was worthless. All she wanted was too live longer.

"Why are you doing this?" she screamed at the air around her as another gust slashed against her cheek like the knife had done yesterday.

_"Does there need to be a reason for everything?"_

Kagome almost cried of relief when she noticed the apartment building that was quickly approaching down the hill. The wind was still attacking her, but she didn't care at the moment. She was almost home free.

_"I'll still find you,"_ the voice sounded like it had been whispered in her ear instead of in her head. In fact there was breath breathing against her ear… Or was that wind? It was just like yesterday. It was like the attacker was there, but wasn't there.

The girl reached the steps that led up to the second floor of the open-air building. Stuffing her hand in her pockets she quickly took out a key and jammed it into its assigned door. The wind whirled around her like an invisible tornado with razor leaves getting caught in the gusts, still scraping against any skin that was left untouched.

Kagome winced at the pain when she finally got the damn door to open.

Home free!

:-:-:

Inuyasha was sitting at the couch again, watching of all things: the news… again….

After that incident yesterday with Kagome, he had made it his business to find out everything he could about that one report. The one with the murders and organization…

He had to wonder about this 'un-named' organization. Was it like the mafia? A council? All he knew was that there weren't any kinds of organizations around here that he knew of other than community service groups.

And that was probably the most well organized one too.

The dog's ear twitched at the sound of metal scraping against metal coming from the front door. That sound was most likely coming from Kagome who was jamming the key into the doorknob.

Moments passed by and nothing seemed to happen. Nothing as in: the door didn't seem like it was going to move.

Maybe she was having troubles with opening it.

How could anyone have any troubles with opening a door?

Inuyasha eyed it carefully; waiting for it to let Kagome in… eventually it did… And the sight of her current state was enough to make anyone want to scream… Or lose consciousness, whatever suited the person.

His eyes shot wide open as Kagome slammed the door behind her and panted heavily, leaning back against the closed door. She was panicked and horrified just like the day before. But instead of one cut on the cheek, they were all over her body. Her clothes were even torn up a bit and scratches under the tears could be seen.

What was happening to her?

Was she doing something dangerous?

The dog youkai picked himself off of his seat from the couch and attempted to make his way towards her.

Attempted because she had suddenly snapped her focus on him when she had heard the sounds of his footsteps. She must have been really spooked out because he was walking on carpeted floor, which meant her senses were on high alert.

Inuyasha watched her freeze at the door, holding her breath as if trying to pretend she wasn't there. But of course he knew better.

"What the hell happened to you?" he didn't mean for it to come out harshly, but his thoughts had escaped him just a second before she had frozen up, and his control wasn't being constrained very well at the moment.

Kagome flinched from the sudden burst of sound and partly from the weight she was putting on her injured ankle. Speaking of her ankle, it was still bleeding… so was every other scrape that covered her skin.

"Nothing," she gasped out from her over usage of energy. As expected her voice had cracked a bit. She felt her back slide slightly against the barrier that was holding her up. It was getting harder to support her weight.

"Don't give me that crap!" her barked out, "Like hell nothing's wrong! You can't blow it off like yesterday, Kagome!"

Her weight broke down beneath her as the floor came in contact with her bottom. She was still conscious, but her wounds made it difficult for her to regain her posture.

Inuyasha was at her side in an instant, helping her get to her feet despite the blood that was rubbing off on him. Kagome only complied since she couldn't have done anything else. Her body was too weak, and her spirit wasn't strong enough to do anything for now.

Disregarding all of that, she still found the strength to lift her face to look at his. But when she did so, she only noticed one things. His eyes.

The golden amber eyes were looking at her. And out of all the emotions that could flash through someone's mind in one moment, the most evident was worry. His eyes were telling her so, and she felt bad because of it. She let her head drop again, looking away from them.

"Don't worry about me," she consoled, but her body was still asking for his help. "I'll be fine," she lied, she couldn't have been worse.

"What shit are you spouting now?" he growled at her, frustratingly. How long was she going to keep this up? Of course she wasn't ok! The first time was only a small cut. Now it was a bunch of cuts, drawing a lot more blood than it had before.

Was she that slow to think that everything was still ok?

He heaved her onto her back and she flinched again, the sudden jerk that shook her body was pressing against her scratches. "What are you doing?" her eyes were drooping, she could feel consciousness start to leave her. In yet she still fought to keep in contact with the surrounding world.

"What do you think I'm doing?" he retorted and headed towards the hallway, "I'm taking you to your room, idiot,"

"Hmm," Kagome nodded against him as she let herself drift off into sleep, she couldn't fight her tiredness anymore. "Thank you," she murmured against his hair, her vision clouding up from the drowsiness until everything turned into peaceful darkness.

Thinking nothing more of her problems and not remembering anything she was supposed to be hiding inside of her bedroom.

Inuyasha opened the door to her room and walked in. The window was open, letting the isolated sunlight pour in like water. Birds had perched outside on the tree branches that were hanging near the window.

Odd that a place so welcoming and full of warmth would house such a battered girl like the one on his back… So out of place.

He sat down on her bed and let her limp body gently fall onto the soft surface. Positioning her so that she would feel comfortable when she woke up and under the blankets to keep her warm. Although, it was rather warm already during this time of season. But oh well, it was comfy wasn't it?

"Just think of it as payback," he spoke to the sleeping girl, referring to her visit long ago, and made his way toward the door that led back into the hall.

Why was she ending up like this? Was there a murderer that was out to get her? Was that why she was shaken up from the news report yesterday?

Setting his hand on the doorknob, he twisted it, thinking of yesterday's events and how everything related to one another.

But he stopped the moment a certain memory crossed his mind.

Yesterday she had been panicking about something when he had come in here… But what was she spazzing over again?

Oh yeah! The diary!

His eyes shifted to stare at the desk that was on the other side of the room, right in front of Kagome's bed. The pattern-covered book was lying there, showing him that there was no guard to keep the secrets inside of it. No lock, nothing. It was just sitting there, tempting Inuyasha to come over and open it.

The path was wide open… There was no one to stop him from doing so. But that would be wrong wouldn't it?

He was smart enough to know that looking through a girl's diary was like looking through her underwear drawer. And he wasn't planning on turning into Miroku anytime in his life.

Even if that meant keeping all the answers away from him.

Temptation was on call again. Still beckoning him towards the inanimate object. After that, he didn't know what was happening anymore.

A second later he found himself in front of the desk with the notebook in his hands… He didn't know how he had ended up there. It was like his feet had moved on their own without his brain's consent.

Now he was fully aware of his actions… It was only his choice to look inside of it or not.

His mind played battlefield for a while, weighing the consequences and benefits of both options. So far they were both equally matched.

If he didn't open it he wouldn't have to face the wrath of an angry girl if he was caught. And if she tried to do anything violent towards him, then she would most likely hurt herself from moving to hurt him. But he wouldn't be able to find out what was so important about it and what she was hiding. To tell the truth, it had been bugging him since he had left yesterday's incident to end.

But if he did open it then there was the high risk of Kagome waking up while he was reading into it. On the other hand, all of his troubles would be relieved… Which one to choose?

Inuyasha flashed a glance at the girl who was quietly sleeping on her bed. It didn't seem like she would be waking up anytime soon. And she seemed tired enough to be able to sleep through the rest of the night…

…Perhaps one little peek wouldn't hurt…

The hanyou sat himself on the chair that was settled in front of the desk. But instead of sitting the right way, he sat so that he was facing Kagome's bed. An extra precaution to take so that if she woke up, he would have enough notice to put the book back.

Reluctantly, his hand found the edge of the cover and flipped the book open, thumbing at the dated pages filled with writing. He eyed most of the longer ones a bit, but always moved onto the next one a second later. From the looks of it, this diary seemed to date back as far as 1st grade year.

Inuyasha continued to flip page after page after page, eyeing all of them to see if he could get information out of any of them. He felt the slight pang of guilt eat at him. It wasn't right to look through a diary of someone you barely knew. It was just like opening up someone's mind and rummaging through it without them knowing.

It took a while before Inuyasha started to get bored of just flipping through. But it wasn't until a few moments later that a certain date caught his eye. He paused at the page and stared at it, eyes weren't reading, they were only thinking for the moment.

_'Is this-?'_

The date had him baffled… It was dated for nine years ago… The day after he was released from the hospital. She had written about it.

He instantly began reading the moment he realized it.

_Dear Diary,_

_Guess what happened yesterday? Yesterday, I overheard Kaede-san talking about a little boy that was stuck at the hospital in—I forgot where it was, but there was a boy in the hospital that she said wouldn't get better. She seemed really troubled about it for a while before lessons. And you know how it makes me feel when I see my friends like that. So I decided to help her after lessons were done._

_I didn't have much to go on. I didn't even know his name. She just mentioned the name 'Kaori' and that's all I remember. Luckily, I was able to ask the lady at the counter if there was anybody by that name. It sure took her a long time to find it though, I think I might have caused her to wrinkle a bit as some people say… I don't get it either._

_Anyway, when I found him I found out his name was 'Inuyasha' and he's a hanyou! That was the first time I've ever met one, it was so cool! And he had the cutest ears! They looked so fluffy!_

_It was really nice talking to him. He seemed like a nice person but it was too bad I wasn't able to spend more time there. Kaede-san called me home before I even got to finish the story I was telling._

_But the strangest thing happened after I left. I remember I fell through the window and ended up at the side of the hospital like I wanted to, but after that everything's just blank. All I know is that I woke up with Shiori beside me and she was telling me that I fell asleep at the building's waiting room. When I asked how I got there she wouldn't answer me._

_The weirdest thing was that I woke up with a really big bruise on my head and a scratch on my cheek. I have no idea how that got there though. Maybe I was tossing in my sleep and hit my head against the wall and was itchy on my face… Yeah! Maybe that was it!_

_Anyway, today Kaede-san seemed more cheerful today. Maybe my helping really did work. Although, I wish I get to see that boy, Inuyasha, again. It was fun to talk with him, maybe we'll meet again someday. That would make me happy!_

_I'll write again tomorrow, diary. Kaede-san is starting training early tomorrow so I need to get more sleep than I usually do. Bye!_

Inuyasha blinked… then blinked again… So all of that really did happen… Wow. Even after her telling him yesterday he still couldn't believe that all of past events ever occurred. And her opinions of their first meeting and her first impression of him… Again… Wow.

He looked up from the book and gazed upon the sleeping girl who was completely oblivious to what he was doing at that moment. It was the same girl who had written all of her thoughts in that passage. But it was still pretty unbelievable.

Something crossed him as odd as he skimmed over the words again. She said she had helped him somehow. He doubted that talking about how your brother and how he used to be really clumsy would be considered helping. Then again, she was about 6 years old when she wrote this. She could consider anything 'helping' at that age.

It was then that something clicked in his mind again from nine years ago.

The peony blossom…

She had given him the flower and had intended on leaving shortly afterwards. The only reason she stayed the rest of the time after was because he had asked her. So that meant she wasn't planning on talking to him, which meant that couldn't have been what she meant by helping if her intentions had been altered.

So it had to be the flower. But what was so important about the flower?

"Unnnggghh," Inuyasha jumped at the sudden moan that Kagome had just let out whilestirring slightly in her sleep. It had been so quiet that sudden noise had snapped him out of it. She stopped moving and relaxed a bit in her bed while Inuyasha realized that he had just frozen up.

Taking quick, cautious actions, he placed the notebook back on the desk the same way it was positioned when he had picked it up. Setting it down quietly before stepping away from it just in case Kagome was going to wake up.

His feet led him to the door, his hand was settling on the doorknob to grip it, but his eyes went back to the sleeping girl.

She was still breathing hard and from the looks of it her scratches hadn't exactly halted it's bleeding. Her dark raven locks were in tangles and her clothes were still in tatters. His brow furrowed in frustration again, he was still puzzled as to how this happened. Judging from his experience from yesterday's incident, it didn't seem like he would be able to get the answer out of her as easily as he had hoped.

The girl moved again, flinching from the pain that shot up her arm because of it's brushing against the pillow. Inuyasha opened the door and stepped outside to head on his way towards the storage closet and the kitchen for a bowl of water.

It was obvious that she was in pain at the moment. And she had 'helped' him before hadn't she? He just didn't know how she had done so, except that it had something to do with the flower. And he had to admit; it did lift his spirits when he was sick.

Well, if she had helped him, then it would only be right to help her. Besides, he wasn't the kind to just leave a person who was in pain to wallow in it unless they deserved it. As far as he was knew it, Kagome didn't deserve this.

_'What exactly is she hiding?'_

:-:-:-:-:-:

AN: Whoo! Wasn't sure if I was keeping them in character exactly. But I sure hope I did. I added more cuss words to Inu's vocabulary just in case he seemed a bit different. But hey! I know he was being soft, but Kagome was injured and he didn't know why. Do you know any guy who would leave a girl to suffer at the front door of all places? I don't think so… At least I hope so. Besides, Inu has a gentle side; he just doesn't show it as often.

I sure hope you guys liked this chappie! I was planning on finishing this in honor of the holidays, but I didn't feel like writing at the time so when I tried to write it, it turned out pretty badly. Unfortunately, some of that bad writing found it's way to stay in here, so I'm sorry if some things seem a bit off or too fast. Gomen!

Ugh! I think I'm losing my eyesight over staring at the computer screen for too long… Need to eat carrots! XD

Anyway, Happy Holidays to all! Even if you don't celebrate Thanksgiving; Happy Holidays! I don't count anyone out during the joyful times. :-)

Remember to review! Onegai Shimasu!


	9. Delving Deeper

_Disclaimer: I don't own the series of Inuyasha. If I did I would be able to get the newest drama CD with no problem. ::sigh::_

**_Alternate Reality _**

**_Chapter 9_**

_**Delving Deeper**_

An aching headache was starting to pulsate at the back of her head, causing her to shuffle around with a groan. It was early morning but she still didn't have the strength to move around that well. And the thing was that she had no idea why this was so.

Kagome cracked open her eyes at the sound of chirping birds tapping against her window. Echoing to the racket from the hollowness of the glass and amplifying the sound by a fraction. But thanks to the pain in Kagome's head, it had sounded a whole lot louder.

"Mmmm…" Kagome groaned as she turned again in her bed. Oblivious to what had happened before. All she wanted to do right now was wallow in the warmth of her mattress and blanket and remain blank to the world that would be surrounding her when she was fully conscious.

Yup… That would be wonderful at the moment… But a lot of things seemed to want her to get out of bed. For instance the birds, her alarm clock, and… the pain on her body?

The girl's eyes squinted as the light passing through the blinds slowly crept into her clearing vision, intensifying her headache at the same time… But it got even worse when her alarm clock started beeping.

Reaching out a hand she quickly brought her palm down on the button that would cause it to cease it disturbances. The noise stopped a second later as a hiss replaced the sound. The front of her hand was feeling intense pain, as if a burning knife had suddenly scraped against her.

Was that supposed to be there?

Kagome stayed still for a moment, letting the pain reside as her thoughts contemplated over it. She couldn't remember anything that would cause her pain. Certainly everything around here was under control and the alarm clock hadn't been hot from energy.

Quickly but carefully, she lifted her arm up and outstretched her hand as if she was trying to grab the ceiling. The marks on her wrist and hand stood out before her in bright daylight sun. And that's when everything from yesterday had decided to come flooding back to her.

The pain of the bladed wind relived itself in the wounds that had dried up on Kagome's skin. Horror struck at the site of her memories replaying and she quickly withdrew her hand under the covers, pulling the blanket up higher for the feeling of security. The crustiness of the bed sheets caught her senses as she shuffled. She looked to the side and noticed blood spots on the bed cover… but she would worry about that later.

Her eyes stared up at the blank ceiling above her. What was she going to do now? It was apparent after two tries that this person wasn't going to give up on their attempts. She wouldn't feel safe going outside anymore, she would be completely exposed if she were alone with no one watching her.

She would most likely die by next month if this kept up.

The thoughts of death and danger left her to be replaced with ideas of today.

Sitting up, she let a gasp escape her when her ankle was pressured to push herself up against her pillow. The pain there was stronger, it had most likely swelled a bit from the running she had put herself through.

Slowly, she pulled back the covers and looked down at her current state. What caught her eyes made her want to look away, but her senses refused to comply. Scabs had dried up on her legs, arms, and body but there was no doubt that it would be noticeable in school. Her clothes were torn in places that the wind had tried to scratch at her. Her hair was matted and sloppy. It was just uncomfortable to think that all of this was on you.

Kagoma frowned upon it and weighed options on how to get out of this.

She could easily fix it up using her abilities, with no problem at all. Nobody at school would notice anything suspicious and she would be perfectly safe from questioning. The only problem was that a certain someone had already seen her with these wounds and he would undoubtedly be interrogating her for answers again.

Not like he wasn't going to do that anyway.

But if she didn't get herself fixed, people at school would be wondering what happened and the organization might find out through the worrying of her friends. The organization was what she was trying to avoid most at the moment… along with her assassin.

She heaved another sigh as her body relaxed against the pillow. There wasn't any reasonable way out of this except for one. And that could possibly raise suspicions, but it was her only choice.

Swinging her legs off the bed, Kagome sat on the edge and stood up---only to fall back down on the bed thanks to her weak ankle.

Wonderful, she couldn't even walk correctly with a swollen ankle. So much for walking down the hall and getting the phone. Another sigh.

Kagome sat in still silence again, rubbing her foot on the carpet from time to time to break the hollow quiet of the room. She was thinking to herself. Weighing options again…

Maybe one little alteration wouldn't hurt.

:-:-:

It wasn't long after Kagome had left her room that Inuyasha had woken up. It would be kind of hard to stay asleep with his sense of hearing. He could hear talking coming from the down the hallway, the living room most likely since that was where the telephone was.

"Hello…. Yes… This is Kagome Higurashi, I won't be able to come to school today… I have the flu," she automatically feigned a cough, "Ok… Thank you,"

Heh. That was a wise choice for her to make, she was in no condition to be going to school anyway. Her scratches looked pretty bad when he had tried to fix her wounds.

Come to think of it… Why was she walking around anyway? Her ankle had been pretty badly hurt, she shouldn't be able to walk for the whole day. He even tried putting ice on it yesterday to try and calm the swelling but it barely worked.

Something didn't seem right about that.

Lazily turning his head toward the side table drawer he caught sight of the clock. It showed that there was about an hour before school started… His mind was deciding whether to copy Kagome and stay home or to go to school….

Well he wasn't exactly eager to find out his test grade….

Stay home it was!

Sitting up in his bed, the hanyou got up slowly, still a bit sleepy from a few minutes ago. Walking to the door, he reached out for the doorknob and let himself out into the hallway.

It was obvious that Kagome wasn't in her room, seeing as the door was wide open and showed that no one was inside. It would have been so easy for him to just leave it at that, and he was about to do just so… That is, if he hadn't caught sight of the diary again.

All the words he had read from yesterday were coming back to him. And just like yesterday, the unguarded presence of the book was starting to lull him inside to read another page…

No… no… he couldn't do it… That would be betraying someone's trust if they found out. He just needed to remember that thought about the panty drawer comparison again. Yeah, that would drive him away.

Uh-huh… sure it would… Temptation is just a hard thing to resist.

A mental battle was starting to take place in his mind again as he stood there, still as a statue. It took so long it was a wonder that Kagome hadn't happened upon the situation yet.

The thoughts continued to weigh each other out making Inuyasha frustrated as he stood there. It took him a few moments more until he finally came to his decision.

With one quick action he padded into her room quietly but swiftly, grabbed the notebook on her desk and ran out into the hallway just far enough to throw it into his room. He grimaced when he noticed that he had thrown it too hard and it hit the wall with a loud smack.

Horror started to wash over him when he noticed the movement in the living room stopped. Kagome had heard it.

Panicking, Inuyasha rushed into his room and closed the door quickly, careful not to slam the door in his haste. His eyes quickly loomed over the room, in frantic search of the borrowed notebook he had thrown moments ago. If Kagome came into the hallway to check on whatever it was, she would most likely find that her diary is missing.

There was a knock on the door, "Inuyasha?" Said hanyou automatically jumped and grabbed the notebook having found it before the girl's arrival. "Are you awake?"

Inuyasha quickly stuffed the diary under his bed and feigned a yawn. "Now I am," he complained while walking over to the door and opening it, "Thanks a lot, wench," sarcasm wasn't even bothered to be hidden.

"Glad I could help," Kagome mimicked his tone and planned to walk away. He didn't have to act that way.

"And what are you doing out of bed anyway?" he glared at her, Kagome stopped.

"I- uh,"

"In your condition you shouldn't be walking anywhere," he scolded, irritation was starting to build. What was she thinking? And with those wounds too?

"Don't worry, I-" she was cut off when Inuyasha gripped her shoulder and pulled her into his bedroom. She instantly started asking questions. "W-what are you doing?" she stammered but didn't know why.

"You need to rest idiot!" he growled, obviously frustrated from her behavior. Her scrapes weren't going to heal any faster if she kept on moving around with them. "You shouldn't even be able to walk with your ankle in the condition its in," he glanced down to see it… surprisingly the wound there was gone.

Weird… he could've sworn it was swelling yesterday… Wait! For sure it was swelling yesterday! He had the melted bag of ice to prove it! (but it was in the trash can now) How'd it heal that quickly?!

Kagome waited for his obviously baffled expression to subside. But in her mind, she was thinking up an excuse that would save her from being interrogated.

"What happened to your ankle?"

"Nothing," Yeah… that was the best she could come up with… how sad.

"Don't give me that shit, Kagome!" he growled and tugged her closer to the bed.

Kagome stared at where she was being led to… He wasn't planning on…? Was he? Her face instantly colored and her wrist was struggling to be released from his grip. But of course, she wasn't strong enough to fend off Inuyasha.

Not like he planned on doing anything like that anyway.

His hand retracted his hold on her and left Kagome standing there beside the mattress. "Get some rest," he ordered and turned away from her.

Kagome eyed his back, "Umm…" then looked back at the bed, "In here?" confusion was evident.

"You might as well," he shrugged and looked back at her with a demanding glare, "Your bed sheets are all bloody anyway." He stalked off into the hallway and headed towards the kitchen. Kagome couldn't see him at all after that… but did that matter? She was having mixed thoughts at the moment.

Half of her brain was telling her to get in bed and get some rest. She was still feeling pains from the wounds on her body and it would be a bit odd to Inuyasha if she kept walking around the house with all those scratches. And it would be good to sleep on the bigger bed, besides, he was right about her bed sheets being bloody.

On the other hand, this was Inuyasha's bed and his room that she would be staying in…

Her cheeks instantly reddened… Though, she didn't know why. It was just a room… A guy's room, but a room no less.

Kagome's consciousness of the things happening around her returned when Inuyasha came back into the room with a bag of ice. When he noticed Kagome still not in bed he frowned, "Will you lay down already?" he shook his head at her for being too slow.

The girl ducked her head so that the color on her face wouldn't be seen. "I'm ok in my room," she answered and walked towards the door to get past the boy.

Unfortunately for her, he wasn't going to let her to go her room. Especially since her diary wasn't in there and that raised the risk of her realizing.

"No you're not," he grabbed her by the arm, gently so that her scratches wouldn't be hurt, "You need to rest," repeating the same thing over and over again was starting to get annoying.

"Wait, no really! I'm fine!" she tried to go on her own way but the hanyou wouldn't allow her. "Inuyasha!"

"What?!" turning on her, he sent her a glare that would automatically scare anyone. "Do you really want to hurt yourself by moving around so freely?"

"Do you care?"

"No, not really,"

"Then why?"

He stopped and turned to her, not knowing what to say to that… There wasn't much you could say except for, "Because you need to rest, dammit!"

Kagome jumped back a bit from the sudden burst of anger, finally wriggling her wrist out of his grasp she stood there. What now?

She eyed him carefully as he stood there, the stress was still there. At the moment she didn't know what she should do. Give in? Or keep fighting it? With that she sighed.

"Fine," Inuyasha expression eased a bit, "If you're gonna be that way then fine," she ducked her head down and covered her eyes with the fall of her bangs. Walking over to the bed and sitting on it, she took another moment before convincing herself to get under the covers, but not laying.

"Finally," the hanyou sarcastically gasped as if it were a miracle. Kagome sent him a glare. Inuyasha walked over to the edge of the bed and leaned down to pick up his school bag, quickly grabbing the diary under the bed and stuffing it into the bag without her noticing.

The girl watched him, "Are you gonna go and let me rest now?" she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Yeah, yeah," he shrugged and got up, leaving the bag of ice that he once held to sit on the side table. "If you need anything, I'll be down the hall…studying," he stood back up and headed towards the door.

"You mean you're not going to school?" Kagome asked, raising her eyebrows in wonder.

"Keh," he smirked, "Not like I'm going to school when I know someone's in my house," he walked out, "For all I know, you might break something!" Closing the door, he left the conversation at that and Kagome was alone to stare at the door.

It took a moment for her to tear her gaze away from the big slab of wood and instead stare down at the blanket that she was using to cover herself. The blush on her cheeks was starting to go away to her relief.

She inhaled deeply as her nerves were starting to calm down from nervousness. But they instantly started up again when her nose caught the scent of the room. It smelled so much like Inuyasha… Of course, it was his room.

The blush crept back onto her face, but she ignored it this time. Getting herself to lay down and relax, she drifted off into sleep with one last whiff of her surroundings.

It was so comforting and warm.

:-:-:

Inuyasha settled himself on the couch of the living room as he set the phone back in its holder. For some weird reason, calling the school always made him feel a bit uneasy. Thinking that there was another person on the other side of the line who was hanging on to every word, just waiting for him mess up on something.

Apparently he was paranoid…

Easing his school bag onto the floor he opened it and pulled out the smaller sized notebook. The one that was used as Kagome's diary.

The thought of reading someone else's diary started to make him shift… again. It was even worse that it was a girl's. Hadn't he already to gotten over this? He read it right in front of her once, but then again she was sleeping at the time. He even stole it the next time.

A sigh and a shuffle later he found himself opening the notebook and flipping through the pages once again. He didn't know what he should be looking for this time, but basically everything in it would be helpful in one way or another.

It only took a few moments later until he flipped to the latest page, dated for two nights ago. The night where Kagome had started to freak out and had that scratch on her cheek.

It was short, but it was the strangest one of all.

'_Dear Diary, _

_Someone's out to kill me…'_

They were only the first four words and he was already so absorbed in the passage.

_'Today while I was walking home, a knife shot out of nowhere and almost struck me. There was a voice in my head that kept on talking the whole time… It's starting to scare me'._

The hanyou was starting to get worried now. Somebody had tried to stab Kagome? Why hadn't she said anything?

_'I'm just hoping that it doesn't happen again. If it continues I won't know what to do about it. If I tell the organization then they'll isolate me somewhere in order to protect me. Or they'll do the same thing that they did to sensei… I don't want to forget.'_

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow… Forget what?

_We'll just need to see what happens now won't we? Bye!_

Inuyasha scowled at the end. Just like her notes, her diary entries were really vague… Why couldn't she write more specifically?!

'_So if a person were to read it, then they wouldn't know exactly what she was talking about,' _Except for the knowledge that there was some kind of organization out there in the world and there was something important to her that she didn't want to forget… Other than those small bits there wasn't much to go on after that.

The hanyou sighed and relaxed from his pondering state. Setting aside the notebook on the couch beside him as he closed his eyes momentarily, letting it all sink in and quietly trying to piece in bits of fractured information.

It still didn't make sense though. All of this was coming in too fast. Kagome was keeping secrets that wouldn't make sense to anyone and was doing a really good job of keeping it to herself. And she was doing an even better job of confusing him.

That thought in mind, he decided to disregard it. He would eventually get the answers out of Kagome… Somehow. The only problem was how to do that.

His eyes scanned the room over. The beaming sunlight was peeking through the cracks of the blinds of the window, spilling its light throughout the living area. The atmosphere was warm and welcoming like it had always been. But the scent of the room was different than it usually was. The faint smell of blood was still lingering near the door. Even though it was old and worn out it was still there, no doubt about it.

Leaving all of that information behind in the back of his mind, Inuyasha allowed his eyelids to droop halfway. A yawn escaped him as he stretched out on the couch and fell back against the cushions.

He hadn't been able to sleep very well last night. His mind had always wandered back to the girl who was sleeping in the other room. After taking care of her wounds he couldn't stop thinking about how she had gotten them. That's where his sleepless night started.

As far as he knew, he was only able to get an hour of sleep last night and even that wasn't very peaceful.

That thought in mind, he let his eyelids droop lower until darkness was all he saw. It would be ok to sleep for now wouldn't it? Kagome wouldn't be waking up for a while. Hopefully.

Tossing the thought in his head for a while, the hanyou finally decided to leave it all behind and get some rest. There wouldn't be anything to worry about for now. It was too nice of a day for anything to go wrong.

:-:-:

…It was dark…

All the girl could tell was that it was dark, nothing else was around her, and there was no sound filling the silent void. Nothing but pure silence and loneliness.

Kagome held her head in her hands as she rocked back and forth on the ground… At least, she thought it was the ground. It was too dark to tell.

Nothing was happening, it was as if time was standing still and she was the only one permitted to move. It was haunting and sickening at the same time.

Her eyes shot open when footsteps could be heard echoing off the walls. Hollow and dark footsteps. A chill of fear started creeping up her back as she continued her pointless actions. She closed her eyes again in fear of seeing what was causing it, but kept her ears open in case she needed to run.

"Chiriko is waiting for your arrival,"

Kagome's figure froze instantly. The sound of that name… and the sound of that voice was a sickening mixture. She flinched on impulse as the thought of meeting Chiriko again ran through her mind.

Her eyes gazed up instantly as the sound of ruffling clothes broke through her senses. The first thing that she could register was the sight of a silver dagger. It was already dripping with blood. Her blood was going to add to the amount.

"Say 'Hi' for me when you see him," the dagger came rushing towards her in a flash and then—

Kagome shot up in the bed, panting quickly as dim sunlight entered through the windows. Her eyes shooting back and forth across the room for any danger that was supposedly coming towards her. She was tugging the blanket around her as if it was her only defense.

The only sound flowing through the room was the calm chirping of the birds outside.

No silence… no loneliness… no silver dagger…

'_No mentioning of Chiriko,'_ she drew in a deep breath as her body racked from the raggedness of her breathing. _'It was all a dream,'_ she thought to herself as she turned her gaze towards the window. There was no sign of any danger whatsoever. The birds would have been gone if it was dangerous.

Nothing but tranquil atmosphere surrounded her as images from her nightmare came back.

The thought of being by yourself in a room with those kinds of images popping through her head didn't exactly sound very nice to her. Pulling the blanket off of her, she set her feet on the floor and stood up.

Her knees buckled slightly from the sudden pressure while her scratches ached. Quickly, she withdrew the feeling out of her mind as she headed toward the door and opened it, letting herself into the dimly lit hallway.

Dimly lit… At least it wasn't pure darkness. Kagome shuddered at the thought. Darkness and loneliness was very scary combination. That dream wasn't very pleasant.

Actually where did that dream come from? She didn't know the answer to that question to tell the truth… But it seemed very peculiar… she could almost swear it was déjà vu.

Her steps hurried towards the end of the hall as the thoughts swirled around in her head, making her scared and confused even more than she had been.

'_If you're in the living room you won't be by yourself,'_ she reassured, _'Inuyasha should be there,'_ stopping herself before coming in view of the living room, she took a deep breath and planted a smile on her face that would cover up any of her worrying.

She took a step forward and smiled brightly when the living room scenery came into view. She expected Inuyasha to yell at her for getting out of bed in her condition but silence met her ears. It was only a few moments later that her eyes fell upon his peaceful sleeping face.

A smile lit up on her features at the sight. He looked so tranquil when he was asleep. So calm and peaceful, not even a bit of anger in his expressions. She took a step closer and her eyes softened as she thought. It was so rare to see him with this kind of face. And in a way it was also… heartwarming.

Kagome let the smile grow as she made to sit on the other end of the couch that he was asleep on and watch some TV to break the silence. But when her eyes fell upon the spot she was meaning to sit on, she was shocked still.

There, innocent and inanimate, was the notebook that served as her diary.

The smile on her face died away… not to mention the peace that she had been feeling just a moment ago from the sight of her sleeping friend.

Her hands slowly reached out to the magenta colored notebook and grasped it, bringing it up to her face for inspection. It looked fine on first glance, but when she looked closer she noticed a dent on one of the corners that she knew hadn't been there. She was very careful when it came to her diary, she never knew how she would notice if someone had read it or not. But she knew that if she kept it clean and nice then she would notice if someone had been careless with it.

'_Was this from the bump I heard this morning?'_ she pondered quietly to herself as she flipped through the pages of the book. There were wrinkles on the corners of certain pages from being gripped too tightly.

Kagome brought her eyes off the book and narrowed a glare at the hanyou that was more than likely responsible for this.

His peaceful face wouldn't be peaceful for long.

:-:-:-:-:

AN: Finally done with this one! 'Keep-away-from-the-Inu' is finally over! Now to move into the main plot… Well, we can do that after I come up with one anyway. ::sweatdrop:: At least I finished half of my New Year's resolution by getting this up. Next fic that should be updated will be Lost and Forgotten. I've neglected that fic for what? Three months? …. I feel bad now. ::cries::

Anyway if you think Inuyasha's going to find out about Kagome too quickly, I'm sorry about that. But it's chapter 10 next time for pete's sake! At everyone else's pace he should've found out by chapter 5! If I prolong it anymore this is gonna be one frickin' long fic that you guys will be bored of by chapter 20. Oh well, I promise I'll work extra hard for the next chappie to make it up to you guys.

Anyway, HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!! :-)


	10. Uh Oh

_Disclaimer: If I did, I'd be watching the 4th Inuyasha movie as you read this… Am I, you ask?… No, I don't think so…_

_**Alternate Reality**_

_**Chapter 10**_

…_**Uh-oh… (because I stink at titles)**_

Kagome held the diary in her hands thoughtfully as she weighed it in her hands as if checking if something were taken out. Her eyes were still dangerously narrowed at the peacefully sleeping hanyou, and they weren't about to come off him anytime soon.

Nope… not until he was punished dearly…

She watched him like a hawk hovering over its prey. So clueless to what was happening at the moment with that peaceful face… How sad it would be to disturb it… No, actually it would be great to ruin it at the moment.

No need to say she was beyond angry.

The girl quickly took the closest pillow that was lying on the couch, took an angry step forward, and shoved the pillow in his face, smothering him with it. Quickly adding to the effect, she sat on him as she continued to push the pillow against him.

It didn't take long until he was rudely awakened and gasping for air while clawing away at the pillow. But it was harder for him to breathe seeing that Kagome was sitting on his stomach.

How did he know it was Kagome? Well, who else could it be?

The hanyou still couldn't see anything as darkness was pushed into his vision. Without any second thought, he took his nails and ripped the pillow apart. Creating a maelstrom of feathers and cotton as he did so.

At last, being able to see properly he sent Kagome a fearful glare, "WHAT THE _FUCK _WAS THAT FOR BITCH?!" Honestly, he was clueless as to why she was doing this, seeing that he had just been woken up and hadn't had his thoughts straightened out yet.

He felt another pillow come crashing down against his sensitive ears as Kagome glared ice daggers into him for calling her what he had. The hanyou winced at the pain being given to his doggy appendages and closed his eyes momentarily, but when he opened them up all he saw was Kagome's face. It was then that he realized how close she was.

Her eyes were burning with anger as he tried to back away, but since she was still on top of him she was being dragged along with him.

The hanyou took a sigh of relief when she finally pulled her face away, but then tensed up again when she shoved a certain notebook into his vision.

"Did you read this?!"

Inuyasha eyed her quickly before turning his vision to the notebook in front of him. It was a bit hard to see the whole thing since it was pushed up right there, but when he tried to look from a farther distance everything he had done with it came back in a flash.

_'Shit!'_

"Did you read this?!" she repeated, angrier and more impatient this time.

Inuyasha quickly weighed his options in his head. It was either lie and live, or tell the truth and die.

He answered quickly, "No,"

Kagome took the notebook in her hands and whapped his ears with it, in turn making the hanyou yelp as pain was inflicted on him again.

"Did you read this?!" this time with more venom in her tone.

Same answer, "No,"

This caused another whap on the ears. This girl wasn't going to take 'no' for an answer.

"Did. You. Read. This?!" Her eyes were now glaring firey swords into his golden orbs as she waited for his answer. But Inuyasha wanted to take care of something before answering.

"Will you get off of me!" he shoved her off his stomach, and took in deep breaths from his lack of oxygen. At the same time, causing Kagome to fall on the carpeted floor back first. But she didn't let it get to her as she got up and was back in his face.

"Would you just answer the question?!"

Inuyasha looked off to the side, this time trying to avoid the iciness in her gaze. Would he answer the same way this time? Or would he change it? There was a chance that if he answered 'no' again, his ears would be abused for a fourth time that day. And he wasn't really eager on testing that assumption out.

"What if I did?"

Kagome blew up, "WHAT IF YOU DID?!" the fuming girl threw her hands up in the air exasperatedly, turned on her heel and walked over to the closest table, leaning on it as she held her head. Massaging her aching temples as she did so. Stress was starting to take over her. Best way to get rid of stress?

The girl turned her fierce eyes on him again and chucked the magenta colored book at his head. Unfortunately for her, he had caught it before it made contact.

Kagome decided to ignore her failed attempt as she leaned against the wall this time, tilting her head down, still massaging her temples while trying to calm down a bit. After a while, she decided the couch would be more comfortable for her to take care of the headache.

According to thoughts, the girl plopped down on to the empty space on the couch. This made Inuyasha scoot away farther from her, just in case she felt like abusing his ears again.

The girl took sighed, "What exactly did you read?" she asked more calmly than he would've expected. She turned more distressed eyes on him as she sat there, waiting.

Inuyasha took note of that. She made it seem like if he answered incorrectly that he or she would die… or possibly both.

"Just the one from the day at the hospital," he answered, while staring at the blank wall on the other side of the room.

Kagome took a deep breath and sighed, gritting her teeth, "Anything else?"

The hanyou quickly remembered the latest entry he had read, and all that information came rushing to him. Instead of answering her question, he was more interested in this assassination incident. He shot up in his seat and glared at Kagome, "Why didn't you tell anyone that someone was out to kill you?!"

"Last page huh?" Kagome answered her own question and relaxed against the cushions of the couch.

"You're gonna be killed and you're not telling anyone?! WHY NOT?!" he barked again, not intimidating the girl in front of him in any way.

Kagome turned her gaze on him and she frowned. "Everything you needed to know was in that entry," she informed and gazed down at the vanilla carpet.

Inu's eyes dropped, "You're entries are too vague," he told it like it was.

Silence took the place of everything as Kagome's head was swirling with conflicting thoughts. How was she going to take care of this now? She would be the only person she could rely on if she didn't want the organization to find out about this mishap. Another sigh escaped her when she came to her conclusion.

"I guess you'll need to know everything if it's going to make sense,"

"Yeah I'd think so," he retorted, earning him a glare from the girl in front of him. He took no heed of it as she continued her thinking.

"Fine," she concluded, "But you don't have to believe me if you don't want to," she reasoned with him until silence filled the room again.

Moments passed… and still nothing. Inuyasha took a chance to twitch his ears to check the noise level. He was afraid that she was talking and his ears were to just too damaged from the abuse to hear anything.

…

"Oi, you gonna say anything?" at least he knew his hearing was ok since he could hear himself speak.

"Yeah, give me a minute," she replied and stared down at the ground.

…

Two minutes passed.

"It's passed a minute," he retorted and Kagome sent him another glare. But the glare slowly changed from the fierceness to a troubled look. Inuyasha raised an eyebrow at the change.

A sigh escaped the girl, "Maybe it would be better if you start by asking questions," she explained, realizing that if she started anywhere then it would sound stupid. Even though this was anything but stupid.

Another eyebrow raised… "Ok," he looked off to the side and stared at the diary, sorting through all the things he had read about the day before and forming his interrogations.

Kagome sat there, legs and arms crossed as if she wanted to keep it all locked in. And in her mind she truly did. Things like this could easily lead from one thing to another without trouble, and in this case things could get really hectic. Her eyes flashed to the hanyou quickly and she frowned as he sat there wondering where to start while she went through this torment.

Why? Oh, why?

"What's this organization I've been hearing about?" good question to start out with, seeing that the answer to this would lead to every thing.

An exasperated sight left the girl, she was still wondering whether she should tell everything like it is. Truthfully and honestly.

She could always lie, but she still had that feeling that he could sense lies and then he would keep on pestering her for answers… She didn't want that.

"It's an organization of mages," she answered truthfully, turning her vision towards him to see his reaction. As expected, he looked disbelieving and confused. To him, she had said it so seriously that he didn't know whether she was kidding or not.

"And you're included in this organization?"

"Yes,"

"Why?"

"Because I'm a mage," she answered like it was the most obvious thing. Come on, if it was an organization of mages then why would she be in it if she weren't one herself.

The hanyou raised an eyebrow, "And a mage is…?" he shook his head slightly in a confused manner as he stared at the girl before him… This was making no sense to him at all! And what the heck was a mage anyway?!

"A person who can use magic," she answered simply, "Haven't you ever read fantasy books?" she retorted as she relieved herself of the tenseness that was coursing through her body because of this incident. Thankfully, this had relieved some stress and seemed a bit easier to explain than she had first thought. Moments passed, and Inuyasha was still staring at her like she was some crazy psycho person.

As Kagome expected, the hanyou burst out into sheer laughter. The girl rolled her eyes as Inuyasha humored himself with thoughts that were believed to be nonsense, but she knew better and let him continue on. Honestly, if she were in his place, she would think the same thing he was right now.

When the hanyou finally let everything out, he was on the floor and clawing himself back on to the vanilla color couch. Gasping for air from the laughing fit, he calmed himself down and spoke again, "You actually want me to believe that shit?" he let out a chuckle and got himself back in to the corduroy couch.

Kagome eyed him, "What's so hard to believe about that?" she shifted in her seat as she continued, "You're hanyou, why can't you believe there are mages?" she cocked an eyebrow while Inuyasha finally settled down completely.

"Sure I'm hanyou," he smiled, realizing that she had remembered, "But there's no such thing as magic or mages. Everyone knows that magic is just a use of tricks. So there's no way you could be a mage or whatever you called it." He chuckled quietly, "So can you pull a rabbit out of hat or something?" he laughed at his own joke and the girl rolled her eyes again.

Kagome shrugged and smiled at him, "Well actually, I'm not a mage,"

"Hah! I knew it!" he accused and pointed a finger at her.

"I'm a miko," she answered cleverly.

The hanyou frowned, confused as ever, "A miko?" the girl nodded, "You mean, you're one of the girls that works down at the shrines?"

"Actuallly, it's a rank name," she answered, "I'm still a mage though."

Inuyasha let his head fall as if he was playing with an ignorant child who wouldn't answer questions straight. "Right…"

"Don't believe me? You don't have to," she smiled at him, half hoping that he would buy it and half hoping that he would just leave it alone and never think about it again. Heck! It would be better if he thought she was a crazy maniac. Or if he thought he was going crazy.

The hanyou shook his head out of his contemplations, "Ok, ok, ok," he waved his hands in front of his face as if clearing up messes between her and him. "If you're really a mage or miko or whatever it is, then prove it," He smirked at her, knowing fully well that she wouldn't be able to. He expected a frown to show up on her face in a few moments, since she wouldn't be able to do so.

Instead she smiled, "Gladly," she replied.

Silence enclosed them as Kagome thought carefully on how she should prove all of this in one action.

Inuyasha let out a quick laugh before it happened. She actually believed that she could prove it. Ha! Sure she could! Like. That.. could—ever…… was that pillow floating in the air?

Kagome took note of the surprised face on his features and giggled at his reaction. She turned her eyes back on the pillow and willed it to do the next part.

Inuyasha watched as the floating, maroon shaded pillow swiftly came rushing towards his face. He closed his eyes quickly, and just when he thought it would hit him there was nothing. One of his closed eyes cracked open slightly and realized that the cushion was now floating only centimeters away from his nose. He chanced a quick look up at the ceiling to make sure that it wasn't hanging by some clear string.

It wasn't.

The soft pillow finally came in contact with him when he wasn't paying attention and Kagome let go of her mental connection she had with it. In turn, letting it drop into the hanyou's lap. Inanimate and lifeless like it had always been before that happened.

Inuayasha gaped at the girl as if she had just turned everything upside down and backwards. She probably did if she was able to make that happen.

Kagome smirked uncharacteristically at him as he continued his mental feud on what and what not to believe. Silence ensued the atmosphere as Kagome patiently waited for Inuaysha's reaction.

"… So… that day at the hospital… and you fell out of the window, you did what?" from this question, she took it he believed her. Which made a heavy weight on her spirit relieve itself, knowing that she wouldn't need to stress on hiding it anymore.

She flashed him a smile… and was gone.

She had disappeared in a flash... Like how when you turn off your T.V. you get one flash of light before it turns off.

Inuyasha's eyes almost popped out of his head when she had suddenly disappeared. One second she was sitting there. The next millisecond she was gone.

… Not gone, maybe on the other side of the room.

The hanyou's eyes registered this slowly as his eyes went from the spot on the couch, to the spot where she was leaning against the wall. His mouth went slack for words and his eyes were now taking everything in without question. After a while, Kagome appeared back at the couch, sitting in the same spot she had been before the teleporting.

Inuyasha could only manage one thing, "… So that's how you survived." Kagome nodded her head in response with a smile on her face, glad that he didn't think he was crazy because of his discoveries.

"You get it now?"

"… Yeah," the hanyou was still rather speechless. Which was very rare for him.

His mind made several trips back in forth in his memories as he remembered all the times something strange had happened around him. Had they all been caused by these 'mages'? A memory flashed in his mind as he remembered a certain moment in time.

"Sango and Miroku aren't mages too, are they?"

Kagome glanced at the boy and quickly turned her head away to avoid looking again. She knew it was ok to blow it for herself, but was she permitted to tell about their friends too?

Something dawned on her as she thought about this, if she lied Inuyasha might go and ask them personally. And if they found out that she told him about everything, then they might tell one of the officials of the happenings… and then—

Kagome turned back to him and nodded. His face went blank from all expression as he absorbed all this information… When nothing seemed to be coming out of this, the girl stood up and stretched from her long period of sitting. She shot a glance at the blank hanyou, "I'll just go make breakfast," she announced as she walked over to the kitchen. "If you have anymore questions, don't be afraid to ask," she cheerfully made her way to the fridge and opened it, taking out the many foods that were needed to make one morning meal.

Inuyasha was still sitting on the couch 10 minutes later, just not gawking this time. His eyes narrowed on a spot on the wall as he thought to himself. If someone random had passed by then they might think that he was angry at the object. But no, he was just thinking.

He still couldn't grasp the fact that there was actual magic in the world, even though it was proven to him right in front of his eyes. And when Kagome was talking about it he hadn't smelled any scent of lying. So it all _had _to be true.

But how?

His eyes chanced a look at Kagome in the kitchen smiling as happily as she usually did everyday. Only now there was a pot floating beside her head as she started washing dishes. Following the pot were all the other utensils and tools that needed washing.

…That looked so bizarre…

He blinked rapidly, as if it would all disappear and return back to normal if he did it enough times… Didn't work. He closed his eyes and frowned at the images he had just seen. This just seemed so wrong now!

Moments later he started thinking he was going crazy and needed more proof to believe it.

"Oi, Kagome!" he called out to get her attention.

"What?"

"Can you give me a glass of water?"

The girl looked up from her washing and glared at him, he was starting to treat her like a maid now. "Get it yourself!" she returned back to the dishes.

"But I wanna see one of your other 'powers'," he admitted, he was just looking for more proof that this actually happening and he should stop thinking about it and accept it.

The girl sighed and shook her head, paying attention to the knife that she was washing instead of the hanyou in the living room. Inuyasha frowned at her, how was he supposed to live with this? Heck! How was he ever gonna get used to this?

The hanyou stared out intently on a spot on the table as he contemplated.

He blinked once and there was a glass of water in front of him on the table. He blinked again and it was still there. How did that happen? Inuyasha looked back at Kagome who was looking back at him.

"You wanted more proof, didn't you?" She left it at that and dried her hands on the rag that was hung hear one of the cabinets.

"Uh… yeah," Inuyasha picked up the glass of water and inspected the surface. It didn't looked like it was rigged or anything. Even if it was rigged, it couldn't have gotten where it was so quickly. "Thanks," he shot her another look to see that she was putting everything back. Downing the glass of water he silently thought to himself again as his eyes set back to the diary that was lying on the table in front of him.

"Hey!"

"What?" Kagome asked as she stared down at the counter she was cleaning.

The hanyou paused before going on, "You're not mad about the diary, are you?" he raised an eyebrow, waiting for an answer.

The girl looked up at him and smiled a smile that could rival the sun. He felt relief run through him at the sight. That had to have meant she was ok with it.

"Of course I am," Kagome stated, the smile still on her face as she turned sight back to the counter.

Inuyasha stared confusingly… that combination didn't really work out too well… She didn't forgive him and yet she was smiling like little Miss Sunshine. That didn't make any sense…

Kagome let a plate of food set itself down in front of him while she turned towards her plate which was set on the marble green counter. She took a fork and stabbed it into her cooked eggs, placing it in her mouth and swallowing, she took a peak at Inuyasha.

He was sitting there, staring at it with a cautious face and mild fear in his eyes.

The girl knew instantly what he was thinking, "I don't poison people when I'm mad at them…" she answered and he sniffed the air. No scent of lying.

The hanyou took his fork and started chowing down on his eggs while Kagome continued on her own.

"I just curse them…" she added to her statement, loud enough for the hanyou to hear. He stopped his chewing and nearly spit his food back out, thankfully he didn't. No one needed to see already chewed eggs.

He turned wide eyes to the calm girl who was continuing her meal. "You wouldn't…"

"I might," she examined a piece of her scrambled eggs before putting it in her mouth and swallowing. Pointing her fork at him she glared, "You shouldn't have been going through my diary in the first place anyway," she informed, in turn making Inuyasha freeze momentarily.

The hanyou thought of a quick defense, "But this makes things easier for you doesn't it?" Kagome set her fork down and stared at him. "Now you can use your 'powers' around the house without worrying," he pointed out the obvious and felt rather proud of himself.

The girl settled her eyes upon him and smiled, "That's true," she giggled quietly to herself. "Guess I won't be cursing you then," Inuyasha let out a sigh of relief as he heard this and took another bite of his eggs. Now he didn't need to worry about dying in his sleep or something similar to that.

'_Not like I can cast curses anyway,'_ she added mentally before finishing off the last of her eggs and putting the dishes in the sink. "If you need me, I'll be in my room healing these scratches," she called back to him and left down the hallway and into her room. The shutting sound of a door followed not long after that as Kagome settled into the chair at her desk and started preparing the basics of healing.

Inuyasha didn't think much of her leave until he was completely done with his meal. He couldn't believe he had accepted all of this so easily, but it was proven. And there wasn't much you could do against cold, hard proof except for accepting it. So he did.

It would explain all those times Miroku and Sango had played tricks on him just to piss him off. Like that one time when his red, rubber ball got stuck in the really tall tree at the park. No one would've been able to get it down, and it was highly unlikely that 8-year-old kids would be able to throw that high. It had all been done by magic.

That explained a lot.

His mind flashed back to the time of the hospital. He had been very weak and there was no sign of getting better until Kagome had came. Was that her doing? She had mentioned helping him somehow in her diary, was that how she did it? She used magic?

If he remembered correctly, she said she was going to heal the wounds on her body just a few moments ago…

Heal?

His eyes widened in realization, "She healed me,"

:-:-:

AN: I didn't really know how to end this chapter very well so I hope it wasn't too corny for you guys. But nonetheless, I hope you liked it. Information on Kagome is revealed. And if you think I let it all out too early. Don't worry! She has a lot more secrets that I plan to include in the story later on.

I was hoping to get this up by New Years but I got really busy with helping my family out and getting the pictures from Christmas ready. Gomen! At least it's up now! I hope you all enjoyed your holidays! And to the person who asked, no, I didn't get any christmas cards… Oh well, still need to improve anyway.

Yeah, this chapter seemed rushed to me when I re-read it, so I'll probably go back and edit and add more when I have more time.

Don't forget to review! I will be waiting for your messages. And if you have any questions, comments, or confusion that you want cleared up, you are completely welcome to email me. My email should be on my profile so check there for it. Bye!


	11. Side Effects

_**Alternate Reality**_

_**Chapter 11**_

_**Side Effects**_

****

****

****

Inuyasha sat on the vanilla colored couch as the sunlight drifted in through the open blinds that hung near the window. Birds were perched on the rail of the balcony that lay outside, not chirping this time as they decided it was time to go to the bathroom. The hanyou had his hand over his mouth, cupping his chin as he thought to himself and stared outside the clear sliding door. Overlooking the birds and instead gazing upon the treetops.

Acceptance on the situation of Kagome and her powers had already sunk in, but the idea of living with it was still beyond him.

The boy ran a clawed hand through his silver hair as he thought quietly. This shouldn't be that strange to him. He was hanyou, another kind of subject that was different from the norm. So why would it be hard to accept that there were people that used magic?

Because he never grew up with things floating beside his head or objects suddenly being transported, that's why. He blinked as leaned his head back, now staring at the blank ceiling above him. This was getting complicated.

How come no one had told him about this earlier?… If he remembered correctly, Kagome mentioned that he would regret it if he knew about her secret. But what exactly was there to regret? He couldn't lose anything because of this, right?

His golden orbs swept across the room once more before he stood up on his heels and stretched. His hands holding the back of his head as his arms held up. Without a second more he walked back down the hall towards the two doors and opened the door that led to his room.

He was just about to enter when he looked behind him to inspect the equally white door opposite him. The door that led to the magic girl's room.

His eyes fell downwards as something peculiar caught his eye.

Light… Bright light was escaping from the crack under the door. It wasn't sunlight that was for sure. Sunlight couldn't reach from the window to the floor and still be that bright. You'd have to be outside for that kind of luminance.

An eyebrow raised on his features as he stared upon the abnormal streaks of gold that was emanating from the room. He idly wondered if this light was part of the healing process that she had been talking about.

Memories started to flood back in as images from the hospital filled his mind. When she had visited him she had given him a peony blossom and had planned on leaving. And if her original intention was to heal him then the peony had to be the whole point… The flower had healed him.

But there wasn't any bright light when he had been healed… Why was there light now?

Without any warning, the brilliant brightness that was coming from under the door died almost instantly. Inside the room, Kagome slumped in her chair, exhausted from the amount of energy exerted from her actions.

In the hallway, Inuyasha could hear the girl's tired panting as she rested herself. He couldn't help but let curiosity get to him, and so he pushed his ears as best he could against the door, waiting patiently as time passed on.

…

The dog hanyou's ears twitched as silence passed… nothing happened…

"Damn,"

Inuyasha blinked, he hadn't cursed just now, so that only left Kagome to be the one who did so. That didn't seem like her just then.

Kagome stumbled out of her chair, not knowing of the inhabitant that was listening for her every move. Her tired feet led her to her bed as her knackered body lazily plopped itself onto the mattress.

She heaved a heavy breath as energy was starting to restore itself. Her closed eyes slowly cracked open as she continued breathing deep breaths throughout her system. The girl didn't know why, but she still hadn't gotten used to this sort of thing. All her life she had been healing herself from scratches and whatnot, and yet she still wasn't used to the feeling she got afterwards.

Drained and tired.

She lay there, closing her eyes as she concentrated on her surroundings. A daze had been put over here when she had conducted the spell and she still wasn't back to full senses yet.

Moments passed and they slowly returned. She listened intently as silence beat through the condo. It was sickening in a way. It was way too silent to be normal. The only reason why it would be this silent would be if someone was watching her.

Kagome slowly turned her head towards the open-blind window and gazed out at the scenery that was being displayed through it. The sun was shining and the sky was as blue as ever. Treetops slowly swayed in time as gentle winds swiftly went passed them, making them dance as the birds flew around them. As the tranquil creatures began to get tired, they perched themselves in the trees, adorning the plants with many colors.

It was peaceful… She wasn't being watched from there.

She frowned as she closed her eyes and her senses came back completely. The sense of presence coming back as well when she realized that a certain hanyou was sitting outside her door. So instead of being watched by her assassin, her roommate was spying on her.

The girl sat up from her spot on the bed and hopped onto the carpeted floor. Instead of walking to the door and unlocking it for the boy, she walked over to her desk and unlocked the doorknob with her powers. The door soon swung open following her actions as air was swept around the room from the action. The boy was caught sitting at the base of her door. His eyes immediately ducked down to the floor in sheer effort to avoid all eye contact. He was caught like a dog waiting for his master.

That was embarrassing.

Settling herself in the chair of her desk, Kagome set her elbows on the surface and planted her chin into her palms. The frown still inhibiting her face, did she really become that strange since he found out? He seemed to be ok with her before he knew about all this. She didn't change at all during her stay here, so what was so interesting about her that he decided to spy?

Hey eyes rolled over to the open door, "You're really a nosey one, aren't you Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha only responded with his occasional, "Keh!"

The girl shook her head lightly and turned in her seat to look at him more clearly. "Anything else you want answered?" she asked, boredly staring back at him as he stared back at her. He wasn't really doing much. It just looked like he was still confused about some stuff. Not to mention extremely cautious.

"You're planning something, I know it," he accused with a narrow gaze at her. Kagome raised an eyebrow at him, she didn't know he was paranoid.

With a glance back at the wall in front of her desk she replied, "I might," she smiled coyly at him. Inuyasha backed away slightly. He didn't want to do anything that would tempt her to punish him with her powers. She was capable of healing; it was completely possible that she could reverse that thing she had done before and bed-rid him for another two months.

He wouldn't be happy about that.

Kagome noticed his slight panic and shook her head with a laughing smile. "Don't worry," she consoled, knowing what he was thinking. "I'm not gonna do anything with my powers." The girl leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs as the hanyou visibly relaxed. "I took the trouble of healing you, I'm not going to make that worthless by hurting you."

The hanyou took a sigh of relief.

'_At least not in the way you're thinking.' _She added in her mind. The girl still intended to hurt him physically sometime soon, it just depended if he did something wrong again and how he did it.

Kagome shifted her gaze over to the dog youkai who was still sitting there on the floor. She shook her head and spoke up, "You don't have to sit there in the hallway," she pointed out. "The door is open for a reason, you can come in if you want."

Inuyasha took notice of this. He did feel rather uncomfortable sitting on the floor. So, with that thought in mind he stood up and entered the room, but something hit him as soon as he entered. The sweet scent of fresh morning air engulfed him as he walked closer to the girl and situated himself on the bed. He took another whiff of the room. It was only now that he took notice of this warm smell… Kagome's scent.

But behind this smell, traces of dried blood still lingered in the room. The girl had long changed the blood-crusted sheets, but the scent still wafted through the air. That was the only part that wanted to make him feel sick as he sat there. And as the faint scent entered his senses, flashes of memory came back, reminding him that there were more important things at hand.

Kagome spun her spinning chair around and faced him; arms crossed in front of her chest showing that she was serious. Remembering that there was something needed addressing, Kagome opened her mouth before Inuyasha even got the chance. "Before I forget," she started, staring at the wall behind him as she talked, "You are not allowed to tell Sango or Miroku that you know about their secret," she commanded in a pleading way.

The hanyou raised an eyebrow, "Why not?"

"Because if they know that you know then they'll tell the organization," she answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "And if the organization finds out they'll find out that I told you and they'll punish me for breaking the rules." Her eyes pleaded with him, begging him to follow along.

Inuyasha took a moment to think about this. A while ago she had mentioned that he would regret something if he found out. That little tidbit piqued his curiosity. "So, nothing will happen to me if they find out. Only you?"

"No," Kagome answered as if she regretted everything she was saying. "They'll do something to you too if they find out."

"Like what?"

"You don't want to know."

"Try me!" he challenged.

"I'd rather not," she answered bluntly, trying to come up with something that would change his mind. "I've already told you enough. Telling you more about this would just dig my grave deeper."

"But no one's going to find out!" he pointed out, getting frustrated from this girl's resistance.

"How do you know that?" she shot back, snapping her eyes to him and narrowing them. "Officials have their ways of finding out. You can't officially say that no one will know."

"Well then," he started, trying his best to convince her that nothing would go wrong if he knew. "I'll just have to be careful with what I keep to myself." Kagome didn't reply after that. She truly did believe that Inuyasha would keep this to himself. And it was highly unlikely that a random official would decide to visit and interrogate them until one of them cracked. (Unless Kaede came, that is) There was no going around it.

"I just don't want to talk about it right now," that was the best dodge that she could come up with right now. And she doubted that that would keep Inuyasha's persistence away.

"Well I want to!" he wanted to know exactly what he should expect if he ever got caught so that he would know how cautious he should be. Plus, Kagome kept on worrying about this even though it effected him. What could be so bad?

Kagome glared at him, showing that the topic was done and over with. But Inuyasha, being the stubborn hanyou he was, tried to open his mouth again to speak.

And just when he was about to get a word out, the floor came crashing to his face. A great amount of carpeted pressure had just come up to him and smacked him… Or, did he just forcibly go crashing down to it?

His face was dumb-struck and irritated at the same time, and he immediately blew up when it all sunk in. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR, BITCH?!"

"Keep talking about this topic and I may just do that again!" she announced with venom in her voice. She was completely serious about that. And she wouldn't feel guilty next time if he continued prying into this subject when it wasn't the right time.

Inuyasha opened his mouth to strike back at her, but instantly closed it again, thinking that she might do whatever she just did to him again. Sure it wasn't as bad as getting his ears smacked, but it was definitely something he didn't want to go through with again.

"Fine," he spat back in shameful defeat, Kagome only smiled from her victory. "But!" the girl's smile lessened, "There's something more important I want to know about."

Kagome looked him directly in the eyes; the sternness of his features seemed troubling. Not the kind where he seemed worried and confused (but those expressions were very much present), but the kind of look that seemed like it was going to cause more complications for her. There were enough of those already she didn't need more.

"And that would be?" stemming off of his previous statement.

His eyes narrowed on her, making the girl shift in her seat. "Why the _fuck_ aren't you telling anybody about this killer person that's after you?!" He wanted to know now. If someone was out for your life the first thing you should do is tell someone. What the heck was going through this girl's mind that was convincing her not to tell?!

"That's none of your business," she tried to kill the conversation right then and there but that didn't work.

"IT IS _**SO** MY BUSINESS!" _he growled at her as a fist came in contact with the bed. She jumped only slightly from the sudden outburst of anger and the fire in his eyes. "This is _serious_, Kagome! Some deranged lunatic is out to get you with a knife or whatever, and here you are just brushing it off like there's nothing to worry about!" He grew even more frustrated when she sent her gazes down to the floor. "WHY?! Do you _really_ want to be dead by the end of the week?!"

Kagome's head jerked up as she stared hard at him. He instantly froze when he saw her expressions. Her eyes were getting shinier by the thin layer of moisture that was starting to form. That only meant one thing.

She was going to cry.

The girl stood out of her seat leaned over to him, setting her arms on the bead to keep her face leveled with his. "Do you know how they'll help me?!" she screamed at him, "Do you have any idea what will happen if they find out?!"

"They'll take care of you Kagome!" he reasoned harshly, "This organization can keep you away from whoever is doing this to you!"

"No they won't!" she yelled just like before, but a bit more desperate. "If they do anything to help me it'll only hurt more!" Her head dropped so that her chin was resting against her chest. She was growing frantic just by the idea of the consequences. She needed to calm down.

Kagome plopped back down in her seat as she sighed and closed her eyes. This was getting way off. Her eyes slowly opened again to find Inuyasha sitting on the bed, waiting for some kind of answer she might provide. "Can we not talk about this now?' she pleaded, gazing at him with a begging look.

Inuyasha didn't know what to do at this point. He wanted to know what exactly Kagome was more afraid of. The killer? Or the protectors? He could tell at first thought that something was really, really wrong about just leaving it here.

But what else could he do? If she didn't want to talk about it and he kept on pushing it, his face would soon meet the carpet again. But other that that, she looked too upset to talk about it.

He growled frustratingly and stood up from the bed. Kagome instantly took notice as his eyes forced themselves upon her. "Fine," he spat out and turned away. The girl instantly let out the air she didn't know she was holding.

The hanyou folded his arms across his chest, huffing grumpily as he made his way towards the door. He was just about to exit when something in the back of his head stopped him. It was like a nagging thought that kept on tugging him backwards.

It took a moment for his ego to decipher and when he understood he turned back to the sitting girl. She had helped him when he was in need. Now it was his turn to help her with more meaning.

The only problem was the wording.

"Hey," he called to get her attention.

Kagome looked up at the call.

"If you ever need any help…" he struggled for the words without making it sound too corny. "If you need any help just ask for it, okay?" he fell silent as the words were pushed out of his mind.

The girl drew a blank expression on her face. Like something impossible had just happened. Her eyes grew wide from surprise. Inuyasha didn't even want to look at the reaction.

But then, her face lit up, as if the happiest thing in the world had just taken place. She went from blank and surprised to happy and overjoyed. A smile played out on her face, "Okay," she agreed and relaxed from tension against her chair.

He looked up at her and froze.

There was a feeling rolling through his mind as he watched her smile. It was something unusual, but at the same time something completely normal. Whatever that feeling was it felt awkward… and yet, not awkward… Hard to explain.

He left as casually and as quickly as he could, trying his best not to make it seem like he wasn't rushing away from the room. And with that, all conversation was left to end. He wouldn't mention anymore of it.

… For a few days…

:-:-:

…It was boring for once…

He never honestly thought it would be boring at school when Inuyasha wasn't there to poke fun at during class. And instead of poking fun at the hanyou, who was supposed to be sitting in front of him, what was he doing?

Noisily drumming his pencil against his desk.

That was the best thing he could do to make up for it. He didn't want to read right now. He didn't want to listen to sensei drawl on about her lesson. (Which she happened to go over yesterday already) He just wanted to get out of there.

Miroku felt something hit the side of his head as he froze from the sudden contact. The offending object deftly hit the surface of his desk as if it were innocent…. Of course it was innocent, it was a crumpled piece of paper.

He took it in his hand and unraveled it to read the message inside.

_Will you please stop doing that?_

_-Sango_

The boy looked up at the girl who was sitting beside him, a glare on her face as he smiled.

'_Doing what?'_ he mouthed, not wanting anyone to hear.

The irritated girl demonstrated by tapping the end of her pencil against her desk. Only muting the noise so it wouldn't continue to tick her.

'_Why?'_ he mouthed again.

Sango ripped out another piece of paper from her mini-notebook and scribbled something onto it. She crumpled it up like the previous note and threw it at his head again. He made no move to stop it.

He unwrapped it and read it.

_Because it's annoying_

Miroku turned it over and wrote on the other side. Instead of crumpling it like Sango had done, he simply folded it and placed it on her desk. The teacher had been looking away at the time; there was no point in hiding it.

_So a mere pencil irritates my Sango, huh?_

Her eyebrow ticked as she read it. Taking her pencil again, she scribbled more frantically and chucked the paper ball at him again.

_Who said I belong to you?!_

Miroku only sent her a smile… Which only caused Sango to get even more ticked off.

_Well, we live together. I thought that would mean something. _

_We are next door neighbors in an apartment building! I don't think that would be considered living together. _

_Would you rather we live in the same apartment like Kagome and Inuyasha? _

Sango froze at the last message.

…

What? She took a moment to make sure that her eyes were working properly and read it over again. It was the same.

She turned her head towards to the side to stare at Miroku, a surprised expression on her face. _'Are you joking?'_ She mouthed. The boy had a serious look on his face as well as he shook his head.

_'How do you know?'_

Another piece of paper came her way.

_Inuyasha told me_

Sango was almost going to accuse Miroku of lying, but he had looked so serious at the moment that she couldn't tell. All she knew was that the boy wouldn't look this grim if he were lying. For one, he was a bad actor when it came to this.

A paper ball collided with his head again.

_That's not good, is it?_

_As long as Kagome keeps her abilities hidden then he won't get suspicious. As a miko, I think she'd be able to hide it pretty well. _

The girl had to agree. Kagome did have a reputation of keeping her powers hidden without causing any kind of suspicion. Which was pretty hard for other mages to restrict themselves to.

Another piece of folded paper was placed on her desk. She blinked at it and then at Miroku. What was he gonna say now? There was nothing to reply to. She unwrapped it.

_They're both absent… You don't think they did something do you?_

Sango twitched at the suggestion and turned raged eyes upon the boy. He was smirking with that perverted smile of his. She scribbled something on another piece of paper and chucked it harder at his head…. Followed by the other crumpled notes she had and an eraser.

_**YOU HAVE A SICK MIND!!!**_

Sango wasn't expecting to get a reply.

_Why do you keep throwing them at my head?_

_Because it's entertaining and you deserve it. _

:-:-:

AN: I tried to lighten it up! I honestly did! But this fic is just too serious and it's hard to keep both Kagome and Inuyasha in a serious atmosphere…. I need to fix that. Which is why I added Sango and Miroku at the end. :D

I hope I did better on this one. If I didn't please tell me how to improve.

The only problem I'm having right now is the rate of the story. At this rate, this fic might actually reach chapter 50 or somewhere around that…. I need to stop delaying stuff. So far I've written over 100 pages for this fic and she's only been there for a week. ::sigh::

Please review!


	12. Death Note

_**Alternate Reality**_

_**Chapter 12**_

_**Death Note**_

"Kagome-chan!"

Sango waved to her best friend as she ran up to her, smiling with relief. It was good to have her friend well again. Not only was she happy for Kagome, but also for herself. One day with only Miroku to talk to wasn't exactly something she would've wanted right now. Yesterday was full of slapping moments and grope-dodging.

Kagome stopped in her tracks to let her friend catch up to her. But when they did meet up the first thing the older girl asked was, "Are you ok?"

"Of course, I'm fine…." When Sango wasn't saying anything else but just blinking at her, she found it to be rather unnerving. "Why?"

"Did something happen? You weren't here yesterday." Sango seemed almost frantic, though Kagome couldn't imagine why.

Kagome looked from left to right before answering. "No, I just got sick." The answer came out rather bluntly and non-surprisingly… So why did Sango look so shocked?

"You got sick?"

"Yeah."

Sango paused and scrutinized her friend's face. "Is that possible?" The older girl knew it was basically impossible for a person with so much power to get effected by a mere cold; or virus for that matter. And it was even more emphasized if the person possessed healing abilities.

Kagome had a feeling this would happen with Sango and Miroku, and had already planning this out. "Yeah, I can still get sick as long as it's 'that time'." A concealing smile lit up on Kagome's face as a small mental sweatdrop formed in her head. Sango was not ceasing her serious staring and Kagome was getting to the point where she would crack.

Thankfully for her, Sango stopped right before the miko had turned away and made herself look suspicious. "Well," she started with a new smile on her face, "I'm glad you're better. You missed a lot yesterday." The magenta-eyed girl heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness for that too, Miroku won't dare come near me with that hand of his while you're with me."

"I'm glad to know that my existence is used to ward away perverts." Kagome smiled wryly as she opened the door to the school building.

"Don't say it like that," Sango chuckled and entered the building, followed by Kagome.

"So I missed a lot yesterday?"

"Yeah, we went over three chapters in math yesterday and we're having a test on all of it today." The older girl laughed inwardly knowing that her friend's worst subject was math.

"What did you say?" Kagome snapped as her jaw practically dropped.

"Exactly what I said, three whole chapters are going to be on the test that we have in about," Sango feigned checking her watch, "an hour."

Kagome dropped her bag in the middle of the hallway and crashed to the floor along with it, quickly snatching out the math textbook she had. "What chapters were they?"

"Chapters eight, nine, and ten."

The miko's eyes widened to the size of tennis balls. "Th- th- those are the hardest chapters in the book!" she cried as panic overcame her.

"You might wanna get started," Sango advised and smirked as Kagome rushed her way down the hall, entering the classroom in a rush and jammed herself down into her seat. Her brows furrowed as she struggled to understand all the different equations and procedures as she moved her pencil to scribble nonsense numbers that didn't even make the correct combination.

:-:-:

Inuyasha sat back against the bench as he stared up into the nothingness of the sky. There were no clouds today, which made it even hotter than usual; even more so since the wind didn't seem to want to visit today. His eyes brushed along the imaginary barrier that the trees created around him. No one was coming yet, it was still too early.

Taking note of that, he lazily let his eyes close as he put his hands behind his head to take a little nap. Unfortunately, his expectations were miscalculated seeing that his friend's scent was lingering behind him.

"What do you want Miroku?"

"Nothing," the short-haired boy strolled the rest of the way over to the bench. "What makes you think I want anything?"

"The fact that you come to this spot this early means you either want to ask me something or you just want to bug me." Inuyasha managed bluntly as his silver bangs brushed over his eyes. "Which is it?"

"Neither…" Miroku answered honestly as he took his seat on the bench. "I just wanted to see if you'd be here today. It's not everyday a youkai or hanyou gets sick." Inuyasha sent him a side-glance and rolled his eyes while Miroku tried to act like a know-it-all. A frown formed on his face which didn't get past the other boy unnoticed. "What? Is it my fault that I know all this?"

"Is it my fault that you're being an ass?"

"Irritable as ever I see," the dark-haired shook his head, disappointedly. "I thought that living with someone else would increase your patience. I guess Kagome isn't the kind of girl to make that work."

"Will you shut up?" Inuyasha sent an icy glare towards his friend as a warning.

"Fine, fine," Miroku waved his hands as if sending the conversation on its way. Leaning his head forward, he quickly took a peek at his friend beside him. He seemed rather blank today, and yet he seemed so angry…

If he knew Inuyasha as well as he thought he did, then this wasn't a very good combination. His doggy friend wasn't exactly the type to keep his feelings and thoughts to himself unless they were too complicated to rant about…. It must've been something big then.

"So…" he started, unsure whether he should venture into the unknown or not. "Why weren't you at school yesterday?"

Inuyasha sent Miroku a look that told him not to continue, but of course he ignored it. "I hardly believe that you were really sick. You haven't been sick since that time when you had pneumonia and ever since then you've been perfectly fine."

The hanyou sent the boy another look, an annoyed one. "It's possible to get sick again after 9 years, dumbass," he scoffed and looked away.

"Not for you, it's not." Miroku smiled mischievously as if hiding something. And knowing this guy, he probably was hiding something…. Inuyasha ignored the conversation, leaving Miroku in the silence.

"It was Kagome wasn't it?"

Inuyasha twitched inwardly. He wouldn't let Miroku know that he had hit the nail right on the head. His ego would only expand that way. "We were both sick yesterday, that's why neither of us were here."

"Do you know how unlikely that is?"

"Yeah well, stick it up you ass."

"I'd rather not."

"Want to make it even clearer? She got sick and then I caught it. Happy?"

Miroku faked a thinking look, "Maybe." Inuyasha snorted his irritation.

The pervert stretched and stood up from the seat on the wooden bench. A small breeze quickly swept through the area, brushing his hair out of his eyes as he smiled up at the sky and sunlight. "Well, you might want to get to class soon. We might manage to have another paper fight before sensei comes." He chuckled under his breath as he walked away.

"You guys had one yesterday?" the hanyou's eyes lit up from their previous anger.

"Yeah," Miroku breathed, "Too bad you weren't there." He continued to walk as he heard the dog mutter curses under his breath. Inuyasha had always seemed to find it funny to bombard sensei with a platoon of crumpled paper balls when she wasn't looking behind her….

Well, who didn't?

:-:-:

_Five more minutes… Five more minutes… Five more minutes! _

Kagome rushed her pencil across her sheets of notebook paper as she clumsily tried to clarify each problem that came to her. Problem? She still didn't understand any of it.

"Good morning, Kagome," came a chirpy greeting.

"Morning Miroku," she quickly replied, still scribbling random numbers.

Miroku took a quick glance at her math book and noticed the chapter it was opened up to. His eyebrow rose as he quietly set his bag atop his desk. "What are you doing?"

"Studying."

He looked even more quizzical.

"For what?"

"What do you mean 'for what'? We have math test today don't we?" She still hadn't looked up from her notebook from what Miroku noticed.

He looked around the room momentarily, trying to see if he forgot something. "… No… I don't think we do…." The boy pondered some more. "I'm sure we don't," he concluded confidently, running his hand through his hair momentarily.

Kagome's pencil stopped abruptly.

Miroku noticed and awaited her reaction.

…

"What did you say?" Glaring eyes that could rival even Inuaysha's evil stares turned upon Miroku. When Kagome got angry it was one of the scariest experiences you would ever want to go through.

Miroku felt a shiver run down his spine. He held his hands up to shield him from any sudden outburst, "We don't have one." The mage boy looked around him for a means of escape, "I swear we don't."

…

After a while Kagome finally calmed down, realizing that she wouldn't be failing anything for now, so it was ok.

But the feeling of panic still ticked her off.

Now where was her friend that had tricked her?

As if on cue, Sango moseyed her way over to the two beside the window. One was looking rather nervous, the other looking drained and frustrated. And she knew why.

"How's it going over here?" she asked as if oblivious to Kagome's stressful face and Miroku's small steps towards the other side of the room.

"… Sango…."

"Yes?" The older girl asked.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

Kagome almost shot out of her seat but was able to restrain herself and calm down a bit. Slowly letting the steam of frustration settle down, she asked, "Why did you tell me we had a test today?" Sango listlessly noted that her friend's eyebrow was twitching from horror and shock. She felt kind of bad about doing this.

"For pay-back for leaving me alone with that pervert over there," she pointed at the boy who was now standing right next to the door. Kagome blinked wondering how he got over there without her noticing. But she quickly ignored it and looked back at Sango.

She felt so… gullible.

The girl looked down at her friend and cracked a smile. "I'm sorry Kagome-chan," she put on a face of apology and set her hand on her friend's shoulder. "I'll make it up to you." Kagome blinked. "Meet me in the shed at the back after school, okay?"

Kagome nodded and left it at that. As long as her friend was sorry then it was okay. She smiled back and calmly put her books away.

Sango heaved a sigh of relief. From what she had seen with Miroku from behind the door, Kagome was extremely scary when ticked off.

:-:-:

"Okay, who threw that?" Sensei turned around to face the class, and to her surprise there was crumpled up paper balls flying around the room, hitting others in the face and other places.

Again…

Just like yesterday…

She sighed and set down her teaching materials. To be honest with herself, she really had no strict control over her class, something that every good teacher needed.

'_I really need to practice control'_ she thought to herself as she opened her mouth to regain their attention.

Before she even got a word out, she gasped from the plethora of paper balls that fell over her head. She heard a snicker from behind her… She didn't even need to look behind her to know which student did it.

"Inuaysha!" she whirled on him… well, at least tried to but he was already somewhere else, ambushing another group of students with his crumpled up notes. She knew this instantly when surprised screams from a group of girls echoed through the room.

Another sigh… it was hard to resist this kind of joy when she missed her youth already.

'_Oh well," _she consoled herself and picked up the fallen ammo on the floor. _'It's great when you get to act like a kid again.'_

:-:-:

"We need more ammo, Miroku! Crumple faster!" Sango commanded. Miroku was hunched behind a group of desks that acted as a fort for the 3 friends.

"We're running out of paper," he looked back to the shredded notebook. "Try catching some of the other people's paper, we're wasting trees!" He feigned sorrow for the wasted trees-turned-paper.

"I got some more!" Kagome called as she crawled her way back to the fortress, crumpled paper cradled in her arms. She spied all the rowdy-ness her classmates were displaying and the fun didn't seem to be dying down at all. "How long do these wars last?"

"Until one of the other teachers come," Sango answered as she peeked over the desk, launching another ball and hitting somebody's head. She laughed joyfully when Miroku was suddenly hit by an avalanche of them when he peeked over. Probably from all the girls he's hit on.

Kagome laughed along and then blinked when she saw a paper airplane flying her way. It soared directly at her and daintily landed on the floor in front of her. Her name was scribbled across one of the wings.

An eyebrow quirked when she noticed. Her hands reached out to grab it and she did, but instantly she felt a chill run down her spine. The feeling was overpowering, her hands shook as she held it in her hands.

'_What the heck?' _She could feel some sort of energy emanating from it. The kind that made her want to feel sick.Her fingers hesitantly worked to unwrap the paper glider so that she could see if there was anything else written on it…

And there _was_ something else written there.

Kagome's eyes grew wide and her senses dimmed. It reached the point where she could barely hear the ruckus around her. Fear gripped her instantly and she stared down at the paper.

**I'm watching you**

… She couldn't move…

"Kagome?" Sango waved her hand in front of her friend's face. "Kagome-chan? Are you okay?"

Kagome instantly snapped out of her horror-filled stupor and returned to the scene around her. Paper ammo was still flying through the air, kids were still screaming and laughing, she was still sitting in the same spot. She blushed realizing that her trance must've looked a bit stupid.

"I'm fine," she blurted out quickly, crumpled the piece of paper in her hands and threw it in her backpack. She looked around the room quickly, checking if someone was _really_ watching her, but there was no one she could spot.

'_Who threw that?' _

:-:-:

When the last bell rang, Kagome practically sprinted out of the classroom and out the school's double doors. That note she received was seriously starting to spook her. Chills had been running through her body ever since she'd laid eyes on it. The letters were written in a way that seemed as if the person was writing while harboring rage or madness. The lines were shaky and thick and the way that the ink ran down a few inches from where they originally settled instantly made her think of blood.

She shivered as she ran towards the back of the building, the wind brushing around her, silently sensing her discomfort. A smile slowly crept onto her face as her feet eventually brought her to the door of the small shed.

The girl slowly pushed open the wooden doors as the rusty hinges creaked from not being opened in a while. She hazarded a guess that Sango and Miroku hadn't come by here while she was gone.

There was no one inside yet. Sango was probably still on her way here.

Kagome sighed to herself. Why did she decide to rush out of there like that? She had just put herself in a more dangerous position by staying out here by herself. _'I'm an idiot,'_ she thought to herself, knocking against her head as a small punishment.

Her eyes cast down onto the ground where the emerald green grass stood swaying in the wind while being blanketed by her shadow. "Eh?" she squeaked as she blinked at her shadow. It was bigger than normal, buffer and thicker than she remembered it to be. She pondered to herself. There was no way that she could've put on enough weight in one day to make her figure look like that.

That just left one explanation…

There was someone behind her.

She whirled around quickly, whipping her bag around to hit whoever or whatever it was behind her.

But the bag passed through air…

There was nothing there…

"Huh?" Kagome blinked at the empty space that was now in front of her. There was no one there. Then she realized that she just swiped at air, and if anyone saw what she just did they would think she was rather crazy. Now flustered, she turned back around and stared down at her shadow.

It was smaller now. As if a part of shadow had just been cut off. Her brows knitted together as she thought about the situation more thoroughly, but she didn't really get a chance to do that.

"Kagome-chan!" Sango called to her friend as she ran to her. Eventually reaching her with a smile on her face.

"Hi!" Kagome answered as Sango ushered her inside the shed. Her worries now rushed away from her thoughts. Now that she wasn't alone she didn't have to worry too much about the note in her bag.

"So, what do you have for me?" Kagome asked, remembering that her friend said that she would make it up to her for the scare this morning.

Sango sat in the chair at the isolated table in the middle of the room, motioning for Kagome to do the same. "You'll see," she answered and scoured through her bag for something she needed.

A few moments passed until Sango found what she was looking for. "Here it is!" she declared as she pulled it out of the bag.

Kagome stared at the object in Sango's hand with wide eyes as her body froze in place.

It was a dagger.

:-:-:

AN: I'm soooooooo sorry for not updating earlier! School work was really weighing over me and I'm trying my best to pull my grades up. I hope you understand. Summer is drawing near so I'll be working on fanfics a lot during then… That is, if I can fit it into my schedule. I have a lot to do this summer. sweatdrop

As for the story! I'm sorry for leaving you guys like this. I'll try and get the next chapter typed up as fast as I can. I feel really bad now. I leave you guys for 6 months, and then I leave you again with a cliff-hanger. And I'm sorry if it still seemed a bit fast. Not writing for a while makes you forget you're writing style and a pace for a bit.

That's it for now. Suggestions and VERY much appreciated! Hope to hear from you guys!

Hint for next chapter: It's not what you're thinking.


	13. Expect the Unexpected

_**Alternate Reality**_

_**Chapter 13**_

_**Expect the Unexpected**_

No matter how many times Kagome seemed to blink, the weapon in Sango's hands didn't seem to vanish. She blinked again just to make sure.

… Still there…

She would've rubbed her eyes too but she was afraid that would draw attention to her if her friend noticed. What shocked her even more than the weapon itself was the fact that it was _Sango_ brought one to school with her and unsheathed it in her presence.

Shivers were running up and down Kagome's spine as she stared at the cold dagger.

"Kagome-chan?"

Trembling eyes moved their gaze to look at her friend's innocent looking ones. Fear iced itself over her mind as she stealthily started to scoot her chair away from the table, eyes still glued to the dagger. Unfortunately for her, her chair didn't feel like scratching against the cold ground right now. So instead of moving, the legs of the chair halted, causing the force Kagome was using to push to tilt the chair back.

She felt herself falling backwards until her back impacted against the ground. Kagome couldn't move her body anymore.

"Kagome-chan!" Sango stood up out of her chair and rushed to her friend's side. "Are you alright?" There was concern displayed on her friends face. Kagome was completely baffled because of it. The dagger was set on the table as Sango helped her friend to her feet.

She pointed a finger at it accusingly as she frantically spoke,"W-what are you doing with that!" Tears were starting to pile up behind her eyes.

"Hmm?" Sango's eyebrows arched high in confusion. She looked to the weapon, and then back to her friend. Realization crept onto her face as confusion came on Kagome's. Sango started to laugh as Kagome stared at her blankly, she was probably questioning her sanity.

"Did you think I would attack you, Kagome?" Sango stood up and grabbed the dagger off the table, holding it front of her to examine and show off.

"Yes!" Kagome nodded her head frantically, eyes still as wide as plates.

An eyebrow arched. "C'mon, I thought you would've trusted me at least a little more than that."

"I think my trust for you went down when you tricked me this morning." Kagome looked at Sango out of the corner of her eye as she set her chair back upright.

The other girl laughed a bit as she took her seat back at the table. She had a point there. "Sorry about that," Sango apologized as she stared across at her unhappy friend.

"It's okay," Kagome said as she sat back down, still a bit unsure. "So, what's this about?"

"You said that you've never witnessed a summoning before right?"

"Unless you count the summonings in Final Fantasy X, then no, I haven't."

Sango smiled pleasantly as she reached out for her dagger. Kagome noted how extremely odd that seemed; a friendly smile worn by a friendly person with a violent-looking dagger in her hand. She could only resist the urge to scoot away. "Well, since that's the case, I thought I'd show you. And since I'm the only summoner around here, this could be one of your only chances. "

Kagome couldn't really find the sense to smile. But she did work up the courage to ask a rather kid-ish sounding question. "Is it anything like the ones from Final Fantasy?"

"No."

"Okay." Kagome stared straight ahead at the wall behind Sango's head. Though, it was rather hard to concentrate when her friend started raising the knife above her head. Panic was starting to sound its imaginary alarm again. Kagome's eyes quickly darted to the weapon. That was when she finally noticed that there was a small ruby on the tip of the blade. What was that there for?

"Ready?" Sango asked. Kagome nodded hesitantly. "Okay then, you might want to shield your eyes," the summoner warned. Before Kagome could ask why, Sango was already bringing down the knife to the table, quickly stabbing the dagger in to the middle of the table. From what Kagome saw, a crest automatically started growing the moment the dagger touched the surface. And it grew bigger as the blade sunk in deeper.

Now was the part where Kagome found out why she should cover her eyes. Once the crest on the table was complete, an immense light started to glow from the patterns on the desk and burst out into a light that shown as bright as the sun.

Kagome squinted as her eyes gradually adjusted to the brightness and saw that Sango had let go of the handle now. The knife was now sitting there, in the middle of the glowing light. Sango gently reached her hands out in front of her and dipped them into the pool of liquid light. Her hands disappeared as they started to enter another realm. Kagome could only watch in amazement as her friend performed such an elegant ritual.

It was only until her hands were wrist-deep in the fluorescent glow that her friend found it right to pull out her own hands. When they came back out, in her hands sat what looked like a clump of glowing light. It wasn't until a few seconds later that the liquid gold color started to drip off, revealing what seemed to be a child's stuffed animal.

Kagome could only watch in amazement as it sat there and found the strength to move.

She blinked

… It moved…

Sango smiled at her friend's reaction as she felt the creature in her hands stretch from its long sleep. "Kagome," her friend looked up at her in response, "This is Shippou." The kit in her hands waved to Kagome with a small smile on his face. His other hand was occupied with rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

Kagome stared in amazement, the little creature noticed, but he didn't seem to care. He wore a small blue shirt covered with what looked like a fur vest. His pants were a puffy navy blue while his hair was a light brown color, tied in a small ponytail in the back. The best part was that he was the size of a plushy. The girl couldn't help but smile at the little boy.

After a few seconds of waking up, he quickly jumped out of Sango's hands in favor of walking around the table top. His eyes darted around the room to see if he was in any troublesome situation…

He wasn't.

Shippou turned in Sango's direction and looked her in the face. "Sango-sama? Why am I out here?"

She didn't seem to answer him right away, instead she faced Kagome with a smile. "I was wondering, Kagome-chan, would you like to take Shippou home with you?"

Kagome and Shippou practically jumped at the situation. Shippou seemed more delighted than surprised though. He quickly ran to Kagome's side of the table. "So, you're Kagome-sama?" His eyes grew wide with excitement and his smile grew bigger.

Kagome couldn't help but smile back. He was just too cute. "Yes, I am."

"Waaah!" Shippou squealed as he hopped off the table top and into Kagome's lap. It didn't take him long to get settled and comfortable. The miko chuckled as she resisted picking him up and giving him a hug.

Sango smiled again. "Would you like to keep him?"

Kagome looked from the kitsune child to the summoner. "Would that be alright?"

"Of course! I'm offering, aren't I?"

"Yeah," Kagome looked around momentarily, "But why?"

The magenta-eyed girl leaned back in her chair, getting comfortable. "Well, I thought that you'd probably need some company." Sango held in her giggling. "And I should know by now that Inuyasha isn't exactly the best person to live with at home."

The miko's eyes grew wide instantly. "How did you know that I'm living with him!" She was on the verge of panicking until Sango laughed to herself.

"Miroku told me. You know what a blabber mouth he is. He can't keep things to himself." She rolled her eyes remembering some times that he really needed to learn how to shut up.

Kagome was about to object to the suggestion of taking Shippou home until she noticed the kitsune staring up at her. "You live with Inuyasha?" he raised an eyebrow at Kagome, which ultimately confused her. "The bad-mouthing, rude, lazy jerk?"

Sango and Kagome couldn't help but laugh at that. There was no denying the truth.

"If you live with him then you'll definitely need me around!" Shippou exclaimed excitedly as he grinned up at her. When she didn't respond he couldn't help but feel a bit rejected. "Or, do you not want to take me home?"

Kagome gasped as she realized she was still sorting through her thoughts. "No! No, that's not it. Of course I'll take you with me." She beamed brightly at him as he reflected her smile back.

"So, was that good enough to make up for this morning?" Sango asked, leaning her elbows on the table as her hands cradled her chin.

"Of course!" Kagome exclaimed, excitement dripping in her voice. But then she remembered, "Just don't do it again. Promise?"

"Promise," Sango held out her pinky and Kagome took it with hers. They giggled when they realized that they were using such a childish ritual. But they're fleeting joy was interrupted only by a little cough.

The two girls looked down at the little kitsune who seemed to be looking away, and a bit embarrassed from ruining the moment. "Sorry, didn't mean to do that." He ran his hand through his hair as he looked around the dimly lit room. "I was wondering, can we go outside? It's been a while since I've been there."

"Sure," Kagome answered, "I need to get home anyway." There was a small thought in the back of her head as she remembered her walk home the other day. Now she wouldn't be alone if she was attacked again. She smiled at the thought as she picked up the kit and made a small area in her bag to let him stay.

Sango wasn't making any move of getting ready to leave. "You're not going home yet, Sango-chan?"

"Nah," Sango shook her head as she stood up from her seat, "I still have some stuff to take care of here."

Kagome couldn't help but wonder what Sango would have to do in a storage shed but she didn't find the need to ask. "Do you need any help?" If she couldn't ask she might as well offer. The least she could do to pay back for Shippou… but then again, there _was_ this morning.

"No, I'm fine." Sango grabbed her dagger off the desk and shoved it into her bag in fear of a teacher walking in and seeing it. "You just go ahead. I don't think Inuyasha would be happy with you coming in late."

"I think he could care less."

"Figures." Shippou mumbled from his place in her bag.

Kagome chuckled at the remark. But after the other day's incident, she doubted that idea. He seemed pretty worried before… and it kind of scared her to see how caring he could get. To her, it really didn't suit his character or attitude.

Or the one she was used to, at least.

But it was… sweet. She suppressed a giggle at the thought.

She stepped out into the bright, sunny atmosphere, squinting her eyes from the sudden change of light. Shippou almost squealed to see how green the grass was. She mentally hazarded a guess that it wasn't that lively from wherever he was summoned from.

Then again, he was sleeping when she saw him.

Sango followed out the door as a light breeze entangled itself between the two. Unfortunately for them, the wind rose higher, causing their skirts to fly up and their hands to quickly dart down to catch them.

Kagome easily laughed it off, but when she looked back at Sango she looked angry by it. She let it go as something unimportant and waved to her magenta-eyed friend. "I'll see you tomorrow!" Sango waved back to her in reply. And she walked off while Shippou poked his head out of Kagome's bag to look back at his master one last time.

Sango winked.

He winked back… and then ducked back in.

It was silent as Sango stood there, watching Kagome's retreating back. And then she turned the corner.

… Now it was completely silent…

"Are you sure that was the right thing to do?"

Sango didn't need to look around to know who it was.

"You know she's not going to tell us Miroku." Sango folded her arms across her chest. "What else could I do? I'm worried about her too!" She turned to face him. "You're the one who noticed the wind's strange actions the other day! If anything like that happens to her I would be the only who wouldn't know."

Miroku smiled at her and ignored her stress as he draped his arm around her shoulder, leaning against her for support. "You're such a nice person when you're worried."

"Get off of me." She whapped his hand away from her shoulder and his arm retreated.

"What?" He feigned an innocent look. "Is it wrong to be close to my girl like that?"

"Since when did I belong to you?" Her eyebrow rose accusingly.

"Ever since I saw you on that one day in your- ow!" Sango slapped him to shut him up and he jumped back. "What was that for?"

"For having dirty thoughts, I'm sure." Sango looked away in disgust. She could hardly believe that she had considered this guy her friend for years. "And for blowing our skirts up!" she added as she remembered.

Miroku rubbed at his abused cheek and groaned. "Mmmmm… Sango's such a meanie." He whined as he continued to massage his face. "So a person can't have fun with his powers?"

"If it's you then, no." she replied blatantly as Miroku let out a nervous laugh.

A few seconds of silence passed as they just stood there. Not making a move. Until Miroku broke the silence.

"I remember hearing a certain someone saying that I was a blabber mouth… Got anything to say about that?"

Sango could only laugh.

:-:-:

"I heard about what happened this morning," Inuyasha smirked at Kagome as she stood at the sink. Kagome only glared at him to try to shut him up, and he almost did. But Inu was too stubborn to stop. "How was it like rushing through stuff like that?"

"Shut it, Inuyasha," she forced out through gritted teeth. Shippou, who was sitting on the counter like a stuffed animal, frowned internally as he kept the plastered smile on his face. Inuyasha was still as rude as he remembered.

"And what's with this thing anyway?" He poked at Shippou's cheek lazily as leaned an elbow on the counter. "Is this what Sango gave you to make up for it?"

"Yeah," Kagome continued to wash her dishes, slightly worrying about Inuyasha's speech since Shippou was there. She wasn't dense enough to be ignorant to the fact that Sango might be suspicious of her absence. It was practically impossible for a healer to get sick and everyone knew that. So, to her Shippou could be posing as a spy.

No matter how much she tried to deny it.

"Is this what Sango does for her po---?"

"Hmmm!" Inuyasha looked up at Kagome to see what she interrupted him about. Her eyes were glaring daggers at him, telling him to keep his mouth shut, having caught him on the word "power".

"—Pay?" he changed his mind mid-sentence. "She makes stuffed animals?"

Kagome smiled slightly, approving of Inuyasha's actions. "I guess so," she shrugged as she wiped off the last plate and set it down with a clink. She moved to put the rags and other cleaning supplies away when she suddenly heard a stomach growling.

She stiffened immediately and looked behind her. Shippou had suddenly stiffened up in his sitting position, his plastered smile had wavered a bit into a nervous expression. Inuyasha was simply looking around, confused.

Kagome let out a nervous laugh to catch his attention. His eyes caught hers. "Are you still hungry Kagome?" He asked, bewildered, she said she had been full when she left the dinner table to clean.

"I think so," she replied, tucking away her last rag as she quickly grabbed something from the pantry.

"Geez, you have a bigger stomach than you let on." He commented but was immediately greeted with a death glare from Kagome's direction… He had a feeling that he was going to regret that soon.

Kagome stormed out of the kitchen, a snack in her hand and Shippou, whom she had quickly grabbed off the counter, tucked under her arm. She didn't even look back at Inuyasha as she walked down the hallway and into her room.

"I'm sorry!" Shippou immediately apologized as soon as the door was shut.

"It's alright," Kagome smiled and locked the door, handing a chocolate bar to the small, hungry kitsune. "Just make sure to tell me when you're hungry next time."

"I would have," he unwrapped the candy bar and took a bite out of it. "But that jerk was there so I couldn't say anything." He swallowed and took another bite. "Why do you let him treat you like that?"

Kagome looked at Shippou as she sat down in her seat by the window. "I know he's just joking. Don't worry about it." She reassured.

"But you deserve more respect than that!" Shippou argued, but then stopped when he choked on a chunk of chocolate. Kagome came rushing to his side and patted his back until he was able to swallow it. "You're so nice though, doesn't he feel guilty about it?"

"Hmm… Maybe… I'm not really sure," Kagome thought to herself, but to tell the truth she didn't really care for the matter anymore. After the past few days she had already gotten used to it. And from what had happened recently, she was willing to excuse it.

The miko stood up and walked to the door as Shippou eyed her carefully. "Where are you going?" he asked curiously, innocent eyes glowing at her.

"I need to talk to Inuyasha about something really quick." She opened the door and stepped outside. "I'll be right back," she smiled and the door closed shut with a click.

Shippou left it alone and continued munching on his candy bar.

:-:-:

"Hey Kagome! I---!" Inuyasha was suddenly cut off when Kagome decided to cover his mouth with her hand and push him onto the couch.

"Shhh!"

The hanyou didn't hesitate to push her hand away. "What the hell?"

"Shhh!" She repeated, a finger in front of her lips. Her features seemed annoyed at him. Maybe it was the stomach comment?

"I get it! Stop it already!" he barked annoyingly, pushing away Kagome's hand before it could cover his mouth again.

"Sorry," she apologized and increased the distance between them. Though, it took her less than a second to get back on track on what she was going to say. "I need to talk to you about something."

"I thought you would," the hanyou mumbled under his breath, unheard to Kagome.

He waited for her to start talking, but instead she plopped herself down on the couch next to him and started scooting in close. Inuyasha had the sudden impulse to scoot away, but decided against it.

Kagome dropped her voice down to a whisper and said, "I need you to pretend that you don't know anything about my powers."

Inuyasha blinked a couple of times. "Isn't that what I'm doing already?" he asked, mimicking her whispering. He was still utterly confused as to why she was being quiet.

"That's not it." She dropped her voice just a tiny bit quieter, but found it necessary to speak closer to his ears so that he could hear it. Apparently, she had forgotten about his sharp youkai hearing. "I need you to start acting that way here too." His ears twitched from the sudden breath of air.

"Why?" He eyed her carefully. He hadn't bothered to keep his voice down this time.

"Shhh!" Kagome reprimanded him, being conscious not to throw her hand on his mouth again.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and started whispering again. "Why not? It's not like we're being watched."

"We might be," she replied blankly. Inuyasha looked confused. Kagome didn't expect him to get it. "You know the 'stuffed animal' Sango gave me?"

"Yeah."

"It might be watching us." She blurted it out as if it were some secret she was trying to keep.

"Kagome…. It's a stuffed animal." Inuyasha eyed her as if she lost her mind and shook his head.

"That's one of the things Sango can do with her powers," she hissed through her whispering voice and stood up from the couch.

The hanyou looked bewildered. "She makes stuffed animals!"

Kagome sighed and shook her head. "I'll explain later," she whispered for the final time until she brought her audible voice back. "That's all I wanted to talk to you about. Thanks Inuyasha." She said it loud enough for anyone in the hallway to hear.

"Keh!" he retorted, that had been pretty pointless.

Kagome shot Inuyasha a glare, warning him not to mention anything about her powers or what they just talked about out loud. Inuyasha understood loud and clear, especially when he took a pillow from the couch and decided to try hiding behind it.

The miko chuckled lightly and walked back to her room.

:-:-:

It was night time when Shippou woke up from his deep slumber on the desk. The dry chocolate wrapper was sloppily crumpled in his hand without a single trace of chocolate left. The only ones that were left were the ones that stained themselves across Shippou's small cheeks. But he didn't seem to notice.

He rubbed his eyes clean of sleep sand as he crumpled the rest of the chocolate wrapper and aimed the small ball at the waste basket.

It missed.

The kitsune stared at it blankly, the annoyed look he wanted hadn't quite made it to his features yet when he landed on the floor from the desk he had been sleeping on. He quietly prodded his way over to the piece of trash, careful not to make too much noise, and picked it up.

He turned around to toss it in the trash can that he had walked by when his eyes were caught by the window.

The chocolate wrapper fell to the floor again.

Shippou didn't seem too concerned about it this time.

Fear crept through every muscle in his body as he stared out the window beside Kagome's bed.

He simply stared.

And a pair of glowing, red eyes stared back through the glass.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:

AN: I'm back everyone! I'm not dead! Neither is this fic.

It's been a while, I know. And i'm sorry! If you read my profile you would know that I'm taking summer school to go advance this year, so that's been taking up a lot of my time. I'm only able to type up bits and parts of this after midnight, so if it seems a bit choppy/rushed, that might be why.

I also had surgery a little while ago, so the later part of the chapter will probably be a bit jumbled. I'll try to get back to it when I have time.

I'm planning on making a Full Moon wo Sagashite fic to improve my writing for this fic. I'm definitely not dropping this fanfic. I have plans for this one. But I am (for sure) going to discontinue "Lost and Forgotten" and "Fragments of a Dream". I'm pretty sure people have forgotten about this by now. But if I get more ideas for Fragments of a Dream I may post/continue it again.

I'm going to try harder to get the next chapter up. So let me hear what you have to say! Review please!


	14. Breaking Through

_**Alternate Reality**_

_**Chapter 14**_

_**Breaking Through**_

"What the heck, Kagome!"

The hanyou's golden eyes glared at Kagome intensely as she grabbed her bag and made a rush for the door.

"Sorry, Inuyasha," she looked back before she closed the door and added, "Just make yourself some ramen, alright? I'm late enough as it is!" And with that, the door was slammed shut.

Silence ensued.

Inuyasha's glare didn't let up at all… 5 minutes passed… He was still glaring at the back of the door, half expecting Kagome to come rushing back.

"Keh!" He turned his head away from the door and stomped off into the kitchen, just barely realizing that he was waiting at the door like a little puppy. If she wasn't going to make breakfast this morning, then that was fine with him!

Or so he'd like to believe.

His clawed hand lazily opened the cupboard door and his eyes feasted among the many packets of ramen that had been left alone… for a while, now. People who knew him would've thought he'd jump at the chance to eat ramen after being deprived of it for so long… Now, he just stared at them, not really feeling like cooking a pack right now.

The cupboard door closed with the same contents it had been opened with… The sound of the door hitting its frame seemed to snap the hanyou out of it… He blinked… Inuyasha made a double-take at the closed cabinet. He had just denied himself ramen!

Now he knew something was wrong with him.

The door opened again and he immediately snatched a ramen package out before he forgot it again. Water was heating up on the stove within seconds.

Leaving the water alone to boil, he meandered over to the couch and plopped himself on the seat as he dug through the pile of papers on the coffee table in search of the remote. When he found it the TV turned on automatically and he sat back and stared rather blankly at the scene on the set.

It was the news… again…

He, watched silently, half hoping that something about the organization that Kagome was included in would pop up on the screen again. But that was just hopeful thinking. Besides, if it did show up then that meant something bad happened revolving around that.

He did not want his conscience weighing him down for wishing something like that to show up just for his entertainment.

Inuyasha closed his eyes and sighed, reclining his legs on the coffee table. What was he supposed to do during the weekend? He couldn't remember what he used to do during these kinds of times a few weeks ago. All he could remember was Miroku showing up at his door occasionally.

Speaking of which, Miroku was coming over later in the afternoon. Inuyasha wasn't sure if he should be relieved or annoyed.

Well, Kagome _was _going to spend the whole day with Sango, wasn't she? It was only natural that the pervert would come here while being shunned by Sango.

The phone started ringing.

Inuyasha let it ring for a while, quietly musing to himself whether he should let the answering machine take it or if he should pick it up himself.

…

He picked it up. "You've reached WacDonalds, this is Shiro. What do you want?" He barked into the phone with an annoyed tone. There wasn't anything better to do, why not have fun?

"I know it's you Inuyasha."

Inuyasha's ears twitched. He recognized that voice anywhere.

"Hello hag," he responded in a much more cheerful tone, most likely out of sarcasm.

There was a groan of annoyance on the other end. "You really should start respecting me. And it's not hag, it's Kaede."

The hanyou shook his head. "Why should I? You're the one who ruined my fun." She just didn't get it, did she?

"Who do you think is paying your bills?"

"I never asked you to pay them," he retorted, slowly grating on the old lady's nerves.

"So you're going to get a job?"

"Why not?" Inuyasha rolled his eyes and examined his claws whilst speaking, "It'll give me something to do."

Kaede sighed, exasperated. "I'm not doing that as long as Kagome is with you in that apartment. I don't trust you to keep up with your bills." Inuyasha would've gotten mad at her for insulting him but figured that it was a waste of his breath.

"But you seem to be forgetting about the only person who stands between you and Sesshoumaru," she added cleverly before Inuyasha could waste more time shooting back her comments. "Do you know how easy it would be to pluck you from that apartment and place you in your brother's care?"

Inuyasha sighed, frustrated that he lost the argument. "Fine, what is it?"

"I'm planning to come visit next weekend."

"SHIT!"

"Excuse me!" Kaede's eyes expanded on the other end.

"My ramen boiled over!" Inuyasha rushed around the kitchen, grabbing a paper towel and dabbing at the puddle of hot water. "Gaaah!" Only to remember that the water had been boiling just a few seconds ago.

Kaede was fighting the urge to smack herself as she heard kitchen tools clattering against each other.

When the noise on the other end died down, she heard Inuyasha speak again. "What were you saying?"

"I said I'm coming over next weekend."

Inuyasha was about to curse again but decided against it. "Why?" he asked suspiciously, narrowing his eyes at the wall.

"I need to know if you're treating Kagome properly over there. Knowing you, I don't know what you'd do to her."

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. "You make it sound like I abuse her."

"Do you?"

… Inuyasha resisted chucking the phone against the wall. He couldn't believe she just said that. "Do you honestly think of me that way?" he yelled into the receiver, a vein ticking on his forehead.

"No, but you're the one who suggested it."

After a few more minutes of bickering, yelling, and resisting the urge to maim furniture, Inuyasha finally clicked the phone off and plopped himself down on the couch.

The TV was still on…

His ramen was cooked…

Now all that was left to do was wait for Miroku to come by.

He doubted that would take long.

:-:-:

"You did what?" Sango stared at her friends who were sitting on her couch, in her hand was a tray of drinks. Her eyes were wide as they focused on the small kitsune. She couldn't believe her ears.

"Ummm… I told him off." Shippou answered cautiously, very aware of the shock he had put his master in. Kagome patted his head and smiled at him, trying to convince him that it was fine.

Miroku, who had been sitting on the other side of the living room, was curious about Shippou's actions. "May I ask how?" He leaned forward to hear the small youkai better.

"I just told him that he was being a jerk and to shut up."

Sango almost dropped her tray. "You spoke in front of him?" Instead of opting to spill drinks on her carpet, she dropped the tray down onto the table and plopped herself in a chair. Her eyes shifted over to Kagome, worriedly. "How did you explain?" She asked, almost scared.

To her surprise, Kagome didn't seem at all worried, when she should've been the one worrying most of all. "I just told him that you programmed Shippou to say stuff like that."

"Programmed?" Sango looked a bit lost.

"I told him he was one of those stuffed animals who talk when you press them." Kagome laughed as she remembered the hanyou's face when Shippou spoke. It was definitely not a face expected from Inuyasha, of all people.

Miroku looked amused.

Sango looked confused, probably deciding whether she should get mad or laugh. She chose the latter. Miroku followed, clutching his stomach as his body was wracked by his fits.

"Well, Shippou, if you ever decide to do that again, make sure I'm around." Miroku wanted to see exactly how Inuyasha reacted when he was told off by a supposed stuffed animal.

"Okay!" Shippou smiled and out the corner of his eye, he caught a look Sango sent him as he finished off his last cookie. The kitsune jumped off Kagome's lap, trotting over to his master to pick up more of the cookies she had brought with her.

Sango leaned down to help him put the cookies on his plate. "Has anything been happening?" She whispered quietly into the kit's ear, unheard by neither Miroku nor Kagome. Luckily, Kagome had taken to describing how Inuyasha reacted to pay too much attention to them.

Shippou nodded. "Something came to her window a little while ago during the night," Shippou whispered just as quietly. "I don't know what it is; all I know is that it has red eyes."

Sango was surprised, she didn't expect something so soon, and that worried her. "Does Kagome know about this?"

The young youkai shook his head. "She was asleep when it came; I didn't want to wake her up." Shippou cast his eyes to the floor, as if ashamed of his actions… Or lack of actions.

Sango patted his head and he looked up. "Good job," she smiled at him and he smiled back, relieved. "Next time it comes, send a signal and wake her up, alright?" Shippou nodded, thankful she didn't seem upset at him, and stalked back in Kagome's direction with his plate of cookies.

Kagome picked him back up and placed him in her lap again when he had started patting her ankle to alert her of his return. She turned back to Miroku, "Actually, I told him that I was coming here today to get Shippou fixed."

Miroku's face pouted from disappointment. "You mean I won't be able to see?" He laid his back against the back of the chair. "Well, that's a let down."

The miko held a finger to her chin as a thought flashed through her head. "Well, we could always say that Sango fixed him," Kagome stared down at the eating kitsune, "just not the right way." She added cleverly and Miroku's face took on a scheming look.

"Clever one Kagome." He praised and took another bite of his cookie. "I like how you think. No wonder you're our miko-sama."

"Don't call me that," Kagome added.

"What? 'Miko-sama'?"

"Yeah."

Shippou looked up from his chewing, and interrupted. "So what do you want me to say next time?"

"Hmmm…" Miroku stroked his chin and thought for a while. "It has to be something he'd never expect to hear." It took a few faces for Miroku to get through as he thought… That's when it clicked, a mischievous smile played out on the boy's face.

"What is it?" Sango looked curiously over at Miroku as he beckoned her over. She was suspicious, but walked over and bent down so he could whisper in her ear.

Shippou and Kagome watched silently as he informed Sango…

Kagome watched Sango bend over instantly in fits of laughter. Miroku, who had been trying to hold it in, started laughing a few seconds after Sango was on the floor while clutching her stomach.

Needless to say that Kagome and Shippou were confused.

"What's going on?" Kagome asked, bewildered by her friends' behavior.

It took a while for them notice that she asked.

Sango, who had calmed down just a bit, crawled over to the pair on the couch, still shaking from the idea. "Come here Shippou," she commanded, beckoning him over to the other end of the couch. He complied, and Sango whispered into his ear.

His eyebrow rose. "I don't get it." A look of complete confusion etched itself onto his face, proving that he really didn't get it.

Sango only smiled at him and said, "It's ok if you don't, as long as he understands then its fine."

"What was it?" Kagome asked again, feeling a bit neglected now that even Shippou knew of the plot.

Sango and Miroku went on to explain what exactly they had in mind and why.

At the end Shippou was on his stomach laughing.

Kagome could only stare wide-eyed, the hint of an amused smile sat on her face.

:-:-:

"I'm home!" Kagome called into the apartment when she opened the door, hugging a bag of overflowing groceries to her. She had to the push the door open with her back as she pulled the key out of its lock and shut the door.

"Hello Kagome," Miroku greeted from his seat in the living room, waving at her. Inuyasha was on the couch, flipping through the channels on the television… again. He only looked at her out of the corner of his eye for a few seconds to see if she was alright.

She was.

And he went back to his channel surfing.

"So this is where you went to after you left us…" Kagome looked questioningly at Miroku who was quietly smiling to himself. The grocery bag landed on the counter with a 'thunk'.

"Well being the good person that I am," Inuyasha rolled his eyes, "I thought I should give Inuyasha company while you were out."

"Keh!" Inuyasha looked annoyed.

Kagome giggled as she started unpacking the groceries and setting them into their assigned cupboards. When they were all gone and stored the only thing left on the counter was the innocent-looking Shippou.

Miroku was watching Shippou with an amused smile on his face. Kagome noticed and couldn't help but hide a smile.

Inuyasha noticed their smiling… and frowned. What were they smiling about? … And what were they staring at?

The hanyou's golden eyes followed the direction of Miroku's gaze and found that it was laying on the stuffed animal who was quietly sitting on the table. His frown deepened.

"I hope you got that thing fixed." His eyes were now glaring at the stuffed animal, remembering what it had said to him the other day. Shippou nervously laughed to himself.

"That's what Sango told me," Kagome plucked Shippou off the counter and brought him into her arms, walking over to the living space. "She said it wouldn't be passing out any insults anymore."

"Oh yeah?" Inuyasha raised an eyebrow.

"Yup," Kagome smiled, Miroku had to resist the urge to at least chuckle. "See for yourself." And she pretended to squeeze Shippou's hand.

Shippou spoke.

"There's a ghost at your window."

"!"

Miroku heard the television click off.

Kagome watched the remote fall away from clawed hands.

Inuyasha visibly paled.

Everything suddenly turned quiet.

Inuyasha's eyes widened as the sense of those few words hit him. And those few words had come from a stuffed animal. He turned horrified, golden orbs upon Shippou and then to Kagome who -to his humiliation- was trying to stifle her giggles by closing her eyes at the floor and turning those giggles into a big, fat smile.

She knew exactly what the damn plushy meant.

"Sango did _not _just make him say that." He stared unbelievingly, but was instantly snapped out of his stupor when the pervert on the couch started laughing.

The hanyou's eyes shot at him, fire was raging behind his yellow orbs.

Miroku was too busy laughing to notice.

Inuyasha shot up from the couch and stomped his way over to Miroku, grabbing his so-called 'friend' by the collar of his shirt and pulling him up off the couch. "You did _not_ tell her what that was about." He stated, the sense of death flashing in his eyes.

Miroku was unphased. "Now Inuyasha, do you honestly think I'd do that?"

"You _didn't_ tell her!" He said, a lot more forcefully this time… Maybe a bit too forceful, for Miroku was now holding his hands in front of him in order to shield him from the roughness of the hanyou's tone.

The boy, whose life was probably going to end in a moment, still didn't change his tone. "But it would've been mean if we left her out of the fun." Miroku pointed out. Inuyasha didn't care what his reason was, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Why _her _of all people!" He growled at him. Rage was building up as each second passed by. The faint blush of humiliation was being covered up by the anger on his face. Miroku was _still _unafraid.

"It's _her _stuffed animal," the threatened boy pointed out and Inuyasha turned to glare at the small kitsune plush toy as if it was all his fault. Shippou was actually starting to regret what he had said, in fear of what would happen to him next.

He was supposed to be a stuffed animal, Inuyasha wouldn't care if he maimed him…

… Possibly killing him. Shippou gulped quietly at the thought.

Golden eyes shifted up to look at Kagome. She was just standing there, no longer giggling, but a more thoughtful look took place on her face.

The 'faint blush of humiliation' was no longer faint. In fact, it was quite visible now.

Miroku took this chance to poke Inuyasha's temper, just a little bit more. "Are you embarrassed?"

Inuyasha suddenly remembered the boy who was hanging by his shirt. "You!" he barked, Miroku only winced at the volume. "Leave! Now!"

"I would, but you would need to let go first."

Inuyasha growled again, annoyed. He didn't have the patience to deal with him right now. Instead of letting him go, he dragged the boy to the front door and almost literally threw him out. Miroku was outside the door in an instant and the next second the door slammed behind him.

The boy blinked as he stood at the empty doorway. He didn't dare move; he could still hear Inuyasha's yelling in the room behind him… It wouldn't be so bad to stick around for the aftermath, would it?

"Inuyasha," Kagome spoke to him in a warning tone, finding that he was taking this a bit too far.

"And this thing!" Miroku assumed Inuyasha was referring to Shippou, "You're throwing this thing out!"

"What! Why?" She demanded, though already half-knowing what the reason was.

"Because I never want to see it in my sight again, that's why!" He reasoned and plucked Shippou out of her arms and threw it to the living room behind him, not caring wherever the hell it landed. Kagome held her breath as Shippou sailed through the air, but heaved a sigh of relief when he landed, softly, on the couch.

The she rounded on Inuyasha again. "What are you so mad about? It was just a joke and it wasn't that bad." She tried to soothe to him, but that seemed to only make it worse.

Inuyasha shot her a glare, but found it hard to actually look at her for longer than three seconds. "Leave me alone," and with that he stomped off towards the hallway.

There were a few seconds of silence, until Kagome (and Miroku, who was still standing outside) winced from the sudden bang of a door.

Kagome could only stand there… in silence…

A few seconds passed by and she still stood there. As if expecting something to happen, she just didn't know what it was. But there was one thing that had happened she didn't expect.

'_I didn't think he'd react that way…'_ She took the chance to turn around and headed towards the couch.

Shippou, who was now sitting up from the place where he landed, had his face in his hands, shaking it from time to time. Why he was doing that, Kagome didn't really know. She knelt down next to the couch in front of Shippou, her hand coming up to stroke his head. "What's wrong Shippou?" she asked, quietly.

The kitsune choked back a sob. Kagome's eyes widened a bit in surprise. She didn't expect him to be crying.

"Why are you crying?" She rubbed his back gently, trying her best to soothe the small youkai.

"I'm gonna die!" he wailed, his voice was rather loud when upset. She flinched, taking note of the fact that Inuyasha was just down the hall. And with his hearing being as sharp as it was, there wasn't a doubt in her mind that he'd heard that.

"Shhh…" she tried to calm him down gently. "No, you're not."

"Yes I am!" he wailed again, just a bit quieter.

"Why do you say that?"

"B-because if I stay here…" he hiccupped and rubbed his eyes, "He might do something to me…"

"No he won't," she reassured, petting him as he calmed down a bit.

"If he's that mad… since I'm the one that said it he'll take out his anger on me…" Shippou clung to Kagome's hand. "And he told you to throw me out."

"I'm not going to do that." She picked Shippou and cradled him as he settled down.

He looked up at her. "You won't?" A sniffle escaped him, "But he said--"

"Forget what he said, you're staying with us… I'll just refuse." She smiled down at the kit in her arms. His eyes still held that gleam of doubt. The bright smile on Kagome's face faltered at his stare. "Or, if you're still scared, I can bring you back to Sango."

"No!" Shippou exclaimed, remembering that he was supposed to be watching over her. Crying was not something that a guardian was supposed to do, especially crying in front of the one he was watching over. "I'm staying." He claimed and hugged Kagome. The girl returned his gesture and walked over to the kitchen counter, setting him down when he was finally back to normal.

"Good to hear that," she smiled at him one last time before heading to the cupboards to retrieve her ingredients for tonight's meal.

"Do you really think he'll come out to eat?" Shippou asked curiously.

"I'm not sure, but that's not going to stop me from eating." The girl remarked as she stared at the pot, her mind turning over an idea in her head, trying to decide what she should do. She weighed the options… and she sighed. No one but Shippou was watching anyway.

All it took was a wave of her hand and the ingredients she had chosen started to jump into the pot on their own. As she watched the food cook itself into a meal, Kagome sat down at the table and recalled the earlier argument.

She didn't understand why Inuyasha was so worked up over it. It was one thing to be a bit embarrassed about it, but he was definitely more than embarrassed. But she couldn't see a reason why he would be humiliated about it. It was just something to laugh about.

…

'_Was it because they were referring to me?' _she wondered to herself, leaning her elbow on the table to hold her head up. _'Because he thought I was a ghost? But why would he find that embarrassing?' _

A few thoughts ran through her mind but she still didn't seem to understand. Minutes passed…

She heard the timer in the kitchen go off.

Kagome sighed again and let her hand drop from her face as she stood up from her seat, she gave up thinking. He was a lot more puzzling than most people, and he was one puzzle that she didn't really want to figure out right now.

Her feet brought her to a halt at the stove. She twisted the metal knob below the pot, extinguishing the blue flame that had burned beneath it. With a wooden spoon in her hand, she lifted the pot's top and started stirring the soup mixture.

Thoughts ran through her head again, she didn't really complain about them though.

"_He was so worked up about it when we were little. For some reason, he'd always thought that it was a ghost. We kept telling him it was a dream, but he just refused to listen." Miroku started, leaning back against the chair, digging up old memories he thought he'd never revisit. _

_Sango picked up from where he left off. "Ever since that happened, every time we seem to mention the word 'ghost' he either gets mad or flustered. And it's rather amusing seeing him get flustered." The girl took a moment to giggle at the notion. "We thought he'd have forgotten about it by now. But sometimes we see him staring out into space, as if he's thinking about it again. So it's fun to poke fun at him for thinking about something so childish." _

Kagome stared down at the concoction in front of her and let it sit there to cool. Her mind was still walking down the long road of thoughts.

'_I didn't think he'd be worried about it for that long…' _

:-:-:

After a couple of hours, Inuyasha had finally stepped out of his room due to hunger. Kagome noticed and had set out the leftover soup for him. He had still found it hard to look at her, but with her acting like nothing had happened, it was rather hard for things to not go back to normal.

Within a couple of days, it seemed as if they had forgotten about the whole thing. And Inuyasha's awkwardness had ceased to exist.

Yes… Everything was back to normal…

But Kagome doubted it would stay that way.

"Kaede's coming!" Kagome exclaimed and dropped her chopsticks onto the table. "Are you sure!" Her eyes expanded in surprise. Though from Inuyasha's view, it seemed like she was horror stricken.

He didn't blame her… Kaede wasn't exactly the nicest person he had met.

"Umm… yeah." He responded as he took another bite of his food.

"When!" she exclaimed and shot to her feet, hands on the table to keep her from unbalance.

Inuyasha took a while to think about it. The hag had called last weekend and said that she was coming next weekend… He weighed his options on the different outcomes on different ways to tell her. Either tell her outright, or make her panic more…

It was kind of fun to see her panic. "When indeed…" he wondered out loud, making sure Kagome heard.

That might not have been the wisest thing to do.

Kagome left her place at the table and stomped over to Inuyasha. She glared down at him with a menacing look and grabbed one of his ears with a vice grip.

"Oi! Hey! Let go!" He complained and tried to pry her fingers off of it.

"Tell me when she's coming." She demanded through gritted teeth, emphasizing each word out of frustration with her house mate.

Inuyasha winced when she started tugging at the appendage. "Tomorrow! Now let go of my ear bitch!" he cursed, but she didn't seem to notice the insult. Her mind seemed trained on the first thing she had heard.

"Tomorrow!" The hand that had been clamped on his ear shot up to her face in horror, she couldn't believe it. Her eyes came back to glare down at him. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Forgot," he said as Kagome continued to glare. For a minute, he thought she was going to tug at his ears again. But instead of continuing to glare, she walked back over to her side of the table and grabbed Shippou off the table. She squeezed the little youkai's hand, making sure that Inuyasha could see.

"Idiot," Shippou said.

Inuyaha growled. "I thought I told you to get rid of that thing!"

"And why should I?" Kagome let her glare go and settled for an annoyed look. "If you can't do something for me, why should I do something for you?" With that, she picked her dishes off the table, put them in the sink, and headed off towards the hallway.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"To my room," she called back as she halted in front of her door and wrapped her fingers around the door knob. "I have to get ready for tomorrow." She opened the door and took a step inside… but then backpedaled when she remembered something. "Oh yeah, Inuyasha?"

"What?" He looked up from his food.

"Try not to say anything weird tomorrow." She warned with a softer look on her face. And with that, the door shut behind her with a click and Inuyasha was left in silence with his food.

'_Anything weird?... If I had a choice I wouldn't speak at all while the hag is here' _… He thought about it a little more… _'Well, maybe I would, but still…' _

He leaned his head on the table and turn to the side to look out the sliding glass door that led out to the balcony. The sun was starting to set behind the trees. The sky turned into an orange color from its previous pale blue.

Inuyasha's eyes scanned the horizon, his eyes taking on a passive look. A sigh escaped him as he dropped his hand from his face and closed his eyes. He would have to go to bed early today.

The moon wasn't going to keep him company tonight.

:-:-:

AN: This is chapter dedicated to a choir friend of mine who passed away the other day. May he rest in peace.

I hope this chapter is good enough for all of you. It's not exactly one of my best ones, but I was a bit distracted this week. I had a feeling it was a bit rushed towards the end.

Review please!


	15. Broken Shards

_**Alternate Reality**_

_**Chapter 15**_

_**Broken shards**_

Kagome stared intently upon her books, scrutinizing them with frustration and she tried to work out the problems in her head. She couldn't believe that she had to get this done by tomorrow. If she had known that Kaede was coming a week before the actual visit, then all of this would be fine and she wouldn't need to deprive herself of any sleep.

A sigh escaped her. This was all Inuyasha's fault. Her eyes narrowed at her books again at the thought, still continuing to read over them. Kaede had told her to stay on task with her training even if it would be difficult since Inuyasha was rather hard to deal with. Kagome hadn't been able to live up to that, and now she was paying for it.

'_Wonderful… And just think, it all could've been avoided if I hadn't went to visit him nine years ago…' _She thought to herself, but then mentally slapped herself for even thinking that. Kagome didn't regret the events that took place from that time. She had helped someone in need for the first time and she was proud of it. Come to think of it, she was still proud of her deeds to this day.

And Inuyasha… What would he be doing if she hadn't come on that day?… She thought about it for a minute, but let it go.

As good a deed as it was, she still found it hard to deny that it had caused more harm than good… for now anyways.

Now that she thought about it, his curiousness could've truly been avoided if she had just chosen to use the door instead of the window. She slapped her forehead. _'Why _did_ I choose to use the window?...'_ The miko thought to herself, but brushed it off when she realized she had much more pressing matters.

She re-read over the diagrams in the book. Thinking about the past had made her forget what she was supposed to be doing all night tonight.

Her eyes turned to peak outside the window. The sky was clear, not a single cloud dared to disturb the brightness of the stars. But the moon was nowhere to be seen.

Kagome sunk back against the pillows spread out behind her. An exhausted sigh escaped her as she stretched her stiff limbs. Shippou, who had been coloring on her desk, watched her as she stifled a yawn. "Do you really have to finish all of that tonight?"

"Yup," Kagome answered as she leafed through another guide. "Since I haven't been able to train with Kaede, she gave me a few things to look at to help me train on my own." She narrowed her eyes at a particular diagram and brought it to her face to inspect it more thoroughly.

Analyzing it carefully, Kagome waved her hands and copied the movements portrayed, eyes still glued to her book. Shippou watched the patterns of her hands. He noticed the cup of water that had been sitting next to him, it looked like it was rattling.

His eyes expanded when the water started lifting out of the glass, clinging to its self clumsily as it tried to retain shape.

"Wow, Kagome," he muttered and she smiled. But she still had yet to look up at her progress.

Unfortunately, it didn't last that long. Shippou jumped back, avoiding the flying water drops that rained upon him when the water exploded. He stared down at his now wet coloring page with disappointment.

"Was that supposed to happen?" he asked curiously.

Kagome's frustrated growl answered his question. "I guess I put too much force on that one." She remarked, silently scolding herself for it. She grabbed the prepared face towel that sat on her side table and moved to her desk to clean up the spill.

Before she did that, Shippou's eyes caught sight of the window.

He panicked.

"Kagome!"

The window shattered.

:-:-:

Inuyasha growled low in his throat as he rapped his fingers against his arm. A lock of black hair slid over his shoulder and fell in front of him, he glared at it. It was the same thing every night of the new moon. And he hated it.

He was so used to having his normally sharp senses; it was rather hard to deal with everything he was so used to when his senses had been dulled… Rather dramatically… And it seemed even more so tonight.

His dark eyes glared at the wall in front of him. Another downside to his human night was that he had always found it hard to sleep, thus leaving him with nothing to do… For tonight anyway. Normally, he would spend the night watching TV to pass the time. Tonight was different though.

Why?

The only TV in the house was the one in the living room and Kagome was here to stay with him now. And he didn't feel like showing her his human side. Heck, even Miroku and Sango didn't know about the new moon.

He had avoided telling anyone about his chosen night. The only ones who knew for sure were his mother and Kaede. And since his mother wasn't here anymore, it was just the hag.

His eyes drooped at the thought of his mother. The smile that would always linger on her face was the same one that would remain engraved in his mind. He never expected her to be gone so suddenly, or that early. About five months after his pneumonia had been cured, she had passed away.

And none of the doctors could really give him a reason why. They had been baffled from the moment they heard.

Inuyasha's gaze lingered over to his side table drawer. He sat still for a while, simply staring at it. Hesitating whether or not he should disturb the peace of whatever was inside. Reluctantly, he brought himself over to it and opened the drawer, pulling out the book that lay inside.

He sat back on the bed. One last deep breath was all he needed before he opened it.

It was a photo album.

One that his mother had been making at the time before she died.

He hadn't opened it since the end of elementary school.

The first picture that stared up at him had been of that very day. The day he'd met Kagome, the day regained his strength, the day where everything in life went back to normal… sort of.

He smiled… A gentle smile played on his lips as he sorted through memories that he never thought would go away. The picture on the page was of him and his mother, smiling in front of a tree in the park while flashing the sign for victory. Cherry blossom petals flew around them as they beamed at the camera.

He relaxed. The comfort of her smile had always been a warm one. But it was much warmer when she had lived.

Crash!

Inuyasha's head shot up, alert as he could ever be in human form. He hadn't been expecting that. The hanyou-turned-human swiftly swung his feet over the edge of the bed and padded over to the door.

Kagome screamed.

His door swung open.

:-:-:

There wasn't time to think. There wasn't time to do anything. The only thing that she knew she could do at the moment was run, dodge, and try her best to get her heart to stop beating so fast. But that was going to be hard, seeing that there was a floating serpent crashing into objects she had passed by.

It was trying to attack her.

'_Don't resist Kagome…'_ She gasped and ducked down, the snake crashed into the mirror as silvers of glass rained down on the ground. _'Be a good girl…'_

Kagome flinched at the sound of the horrid voice. Like all the other times, she was the only one who could hear it.

The snake's blood red eyes caught her panicked gaze and she rolled out of the way as it dove for her. Kagome glanced around, searching for anything she could use against the creature. Her hand grabbed for a nearby book and threw it.

The snake dodged the book with ease and bared its fangs, opening its mouth to sink its teeth into Kagome's skin. It pounced. The miko panicked. Her mind blanked. She screamed again.

She jammed her eyelids together, closing out the harsh reality that she was going to die. Clamping her hands over her ears to block out the horrible sound the snake would let out.

But nothing came.

Hesitantly, Kagome cracked her eyes open and gasped at the seen before her.

Shippou attacked the snake, sinking his teeth into the snake's scaly body. The snake hissed out in pain, wriggling his body every which way to get the stubborn kitsune's teeth to loosen.

Shippou was far from letting go willingly.

Kagome watched in panic as the snake ignored her and set his sights on Shippou first. Thoughts raced through her head. Strategies from training popped back into her mind. But her brain had practically stopped functioning. Her body refused to move, no matter how much she willed it to, none of her limbs would budge.

She watched as the snake thrashed around her room wildly, breaking things in its rampant rage. The hissing sounds escalated when Shippou sunk his teeth in deeper, feeling that he was going to fall off soon.

The cry of the snake brought everything to an end. In its painful rampage, the snake had willingly hit his side against the wall, hard. Kagome gasped when she heard the loud sound Shippou's body hitting the wall. It had been a loud impact, and not just a slap against the wall. It had been more like a thud.

The kitsune's teeth came loose and he came crashing to the carpeted floor, unconscious.

"Shippou!" Kagome called out. The kitsune didn't answer. Her eyes widened in fear and she had to control herself from letting tears fall from her eyes. She had been trained to deal with these kinds of things. Why did it all of that practice suddenly seem non-existent to her.

The snake turned blood thirsty, angry eyes upon the miko it was targeting. His tongue hissed at her and she dove to the side. Pushing herself off the ground when she landed on the floor.

Her eyes looked around, seeking for anything, anywhere she could escape to.

She spied the door in the corner leading into the hallway.

Her feet moved as she dashed for the barrier that could keep her safe.

But then she stumbled, a searing pain shooting up her left leg. A glass shard pushed itself into her skin. She was up against the wall now, literally. She turned her back against the wall, she was on her bottom now because of the fall. If it suddenly flung itself at her with those sharp teeth, she would get hurt. If it was aiming for her neck, then she would possibly die.

That _was_ what it planned to do… right?

The snake hissed at her again, hovering above the ground, taunting her with his eyes as he gazed upon his prey. The snake had won, and it knew it as it sensed the fear that had Kagome frozen to the spot. Kagome was almost flat against the wall now, her mind quickly searched for something she could do.

And then she realized that there _was _something. Something that she should've done in the first place had she not been panicking, she would be yelling at herself later for forgetting.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha yelled from the hallway.

There was a pounding at the door. Kagome flinched as the snake moved, but it had only moved to glare at the door and hiss at it. Luckily for her, that meant she was going to be able to make her move without alerting it.

She stretched her hand before her. The snake caught her action and leaped at her.

Her hand tightened into a fist.

The snake was flung back a few inches as the barrier she erected expanded to encase her in a bubble of blue sparks. Her attacker stared at it briefly and then rammed into it. He wasn't flung back this time, but he couldn't get through the sparks either.

Kagome tightened her grip as the sparks lighting around her became more violent.

The snake didn't seem troubled by it. Instead it stared at various places on the sphere, scrutinizing and analyzing certain spots. Kagome raised an eyebrow in question and suspicion, concentrating on the snakes movements and trying to block out the poundings on the door.

Though, she really hoped that the door would fall down. The snake's red glares were sending shivers up her spine and she wanted to get out of there.

But wouldn't that mean that she would have to involve Inuyasha?

She thought about it again. She didn't want to include Inuyasha in her problems; it didn't matter if she needed help. He had nothing to do with this.

The snake launched itself at the sparkling barrier again. Kagome, who had been confident with her barrier, was only mildly worried.

Until it happened…

Kagome's voice and breath lodged in her throat as she watched what happened next.

The snake had dove at the barrier, but this time, instead of being flung back, it had gotten in.

The miko's eyes widened in horror as the snake hissed at her, opening his mouth to sink his teeth into her neck. She gripped her hand tighter, praying to any God out there to save her from this vile creature.

They must have heard her, for the barrier had strengthened and caught the snake. Half his body was inside the barrier while the other was outside.

Though Kagome was grateful, she couldn't say it was time to breathe a breath of relief.

The pounding on the door intensified.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha called again, hurling his body at the wooden barrier that separated them.

Kagome's eyes widened in horror as the snake started snapping at her, getting closer to her skin with each snap. The barrier's hold on the snake was slipping.

"Inuyasha…" she said, her voice barely above a whisper. She was too scared to speak any louder. As if the sound of her voice would provoke the animal that was trying to bite her neck off.

At that moment everything snapped. The snake's struggling finally ceased as the other half of his body made it through the barrier. And finally, out of fear, Kagome's voice returned.

"INUYASHA!"

The sound of wood cracking came from the door as the piece of wood collapsed due to its abuse. Inuyasha came tumbling in along with it. His chest moving fast from his fast breathing.

The snake's mouth was still opened, but it had stopped moving completely. It took Kagome a split second to notice that its teeth were about an inch away from her neck. She paled and her eyes widened.

Oh God…

Her body started trembling as she stared at the snake, frozen to the spot. It only moved to glare at Inuyasha with its hated eyes.

It turned back to her and Kagome stiffened even more so than she had done before… If that was possible.

It hissed again.

'_Lucky bitch…'_ The voice in her head sneered.

The snake turned tail and flew out of the room quickly. So quickly that Kagome didn't notice. But when she did, she still hadn't dared to move.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha knelt down next to her trembling form. He reached out a hand to her but snatched it back.

Kagome moved her head slightly to the side.

She almost jumped when she saw him.

This couldn't have been Inuyasha? Could it?

She stared at him intently, wondering just what was going on. This boy had black hair, dark eyes, and human ears. The hanyou that she knew had silver hair, golden eyes, and dog ears…

That was really different.

She was about to scream again, until she noticed his expression.

He was worried.

And for reasons that were beyond her, she could tell that this boy was Inuyasha. Something inside her told her so, even though her brain didn't.

"Are you alright?" he asked, worry etched in his tone.

She didn't know what to do… Or how to answer… She just stared at him with horror struck eyes. But then her body reacted without her knowing.

Inuyasha almost fell over as Kagome flung herself at him, her arms wrapping around him as she buried his face in his chest, a loud sobbing wail echoed through the room. The boy didn't know what was happening. He stayed still, staring at the broken wall across from him, he tried to ignore the coloring warmth that lit up his cheeks.

And then he felt his clothes dampen. A choked sob escaped from Kagome as she hugged him tightly. Inuyasha froze, his eyes lowered to stare down at the girl who was sobbing into his clothes. Her body shook from the ragged cries that she emitted.

Inuyasha couldn't explain it but… he felt horrible.

There was something about Kagome crying that made him feel as if he did something wrong, even though he knew he didn't. Though, his expression would say the same thing his mind was telling him. Hesitantly, he laid a hand on her head and started stroking her hair in an effort to comfort her.

She was in shock, and he knew it. He didn't know what exactly had happened, but by seeing the condition of the room and that snake that had nearly bitten of Kagome's throat. He had a feeling it was like those other times she had come home, bleeding.

Kagome released another muffled sob as Inuyasha continued stroking her hair. "I'm going to die…" she murmured into his chest and he shot her a concerned look. She still didn't look up at him.

"Kagome…"

"They're out to kill me Inuyasha!" she cried, panic taking over her again. Her clutch on him was starting to weaken. She was going to break down soon. Inuyasha wrapped his other arm around her to keep her steady. "I don't know what to do…" she murmured the last part as if she were confused. And she was.

Inuyasha's eyebrows furrowed as he desperately tried to calm her down. But while he was concentrating on that, he still couldn't keep the look of worry and anger off his face. Why would someone want to attack Kagome? He vaguely wondered as Kagome's cries started to settle down. _'Had she done something wrong?' _

…

He shook his head. This was the little girl from nine years ago that had healed him without even knowing him. She had a kind heart; she wouldn't do anything to anyone, or do anything bad.

"Kagome," he called out to her. She flinched from the sudden sound, but calmed down when she knew it was him. "I'm calling the police." He finished, and moved to get up.

"No!" she screamed and clung to him again, tightly. "Please don't leave me!" she begged, finally turning her tear-stained face upon him. The hanyou looked down at her, shocked from her actions, and how much her fear engulfed her.

"Kagome…"

"Please…" her body lost the strength to hold her up, but Inuyasha supported her. "don't… leave me… alone…" she begged, her frantic fear was withering away, but so was her will. She turned her face away from him. Instead she chose to stare down at the carpet, as if ashamed of what she was asking of him.

Inuyasha sighed. He couldn't leave her after that. She was horrified to be alone now. And could he really blame her for that? Now it seemed like every time she was left alone something would come and attack her. "Fine," he sat down comfortably against her wall. "But just tonight."

Kagome nodded, still holding on to him. He didn't think she noticed what she was doing, had she been aware she would've jumped away.

"Thank you, Inuyasha…" she muttered into his chest, tears were coming out of her eyes again.

Inuyasha patted her back as she dozed off, falling asleep in his arms…

…

That idea had made him blush…

But he couldn't fight the small smile that tugged at his lips.

:-:-:

The first thing Kagome noticed when she woke up was that she felt safe, for reasons that she wasn't aware of. She felt a lot warmer and comfortable than she usually did in the morning. It was... nice.

Kagome refused to open her eyes, quietly thinking that if she were to open it, her peace would be disturbed. She snuggled deeper into her mattress as a small smile grew on her face… Then she frowned.

That didn't feel like her mattress.

Kagome hesitantly cracked open her eyelid as she stared at the wall to her left. It was in ruins… but she wasn't as concerned as she should be for the moment. She blinked a couple more times to clear the sleepy blankness from her mind. That's when she realized something.

Her eyes wandered to look in front of her. And she almost jumped out of his strong arms because of it.

She had fallen asleep in Inuyasha's arms.

… Kagome was deciding whether to scream or blush… She chose the latter.

Her face heated up immediately as she stared up at Inuyasha's sleeping, peaceful face. But then she snapped her gaze away when she realized what she was doing… Why exactly were they like this anyway?

Memories from last night replayed through her mind. Though she didn't pay too much attention to the attack compared to what had happened after.

The mere thought of it made her blush deepen.

Quickly, but quietly, she gently set aside Inuyasha's wrapped up arms and squirmed out of his embrace. But when she tried to move her legs she froze as pain shot up through her. Wincing from the pain, she looked down to see what had caused it.

A piece of jagged glass was lodged right in the middle of her foot. She flinched from the sight of it, noticing the stain her blood had left on the carpet. Carefully, she moved her hand to reach for it but the moment she touched it, it had moved.

Pain shot through her again.

It took a few moments for the pain to subside, her hand still holding on to the glass. She narrowed her eyes and her will resolved as she pulled the object out, a squeak coming from her as a sharp pain stabbed at her again. Her eyes clamped shut as she waited for the pain to resolve.

It finally did a few moments later. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and set the glass down on the floor. Her hand ran across the wound as she concentrated on that one spot. She shut her eyes as warmth engulfed her foot.

When she opened her eyes the wound had disappeared.

She tried again. An arm was still blocking her from escaping, but she easily got out of it and stood herself up on the floor. Inuyasha was out like a light… surprisingly.

Kagome looked to the broken window, ignoring the damage for now and instead gazing towards the outside. The sun had yet to rise. She looked back to Inuyasha, noticing that his hair was black and his dog ears were gone. She hadn't noticed earlier since she was so shook up, but now that she looked closer. It seemed as if he was human.

Her face leaned in closer to inspect his features. Eyes scrutinizing him as he slept against the wall; all it took was a fleeting glimpse down to his hands to confirm the rest. There were no claws.

'_Definitely human…' _she thought to herself. She had heard of this before. It was said that hanyous could revert to a human state on certain nights. This was classified information though. She wasn't supposed to know about it.

Kagome shook her head and left her thoughts to linger as she surveyed the room… But then something dire came crashing down on her. She had forgotten about someone important.

'_Shippou!' _The miko looked around the floor hastily as she searched for the small kitsune. She spotted him on the carpet near the broken glass by the window and hurried over to him. Kagome fell down to her knees beside Shippou, a hand dashing to his face to brush his bangs away. Turning the small youkai to lie on his back, she took note of the steady rise and fall of his chest.

He was breathing.

Kagome heaved a sigh of relief as she watched her friend breathe deeply, wincing from time to time from the bruises that covered him. The miko smiled down at him, placing her hand atop his forehead. Slowly, her eyes closed, the look of concentration covered her face as she called forth her abilities.

Warmth covered Shippou as she felt the light engulf him. And as quickly as it had come, it disappeard. Kagome opened her eyes to inspect the kitsune. The bruise that had been visible on his face was gone. She suspected the other ones he had had disappeared as well.

She smiled again and got up from her seat on the floor. She took a sweeping look around the room and sighed. _'This is gonna be hard to fix,' _and she sighed.

:-:-:

The sun had risen about an hour ago.

Stalking around the room, Kagome inspected the carpet, kneeling down to make sure that all of the broken glass on the floor was cleared away. When she was satisfied, she nodded to herself as she picked a few things off the ground and put them back in their respective places.

When she was done, she smiled and turned around to face the door. Her smile faltered.

Well… she had thought she was finished anyway.

Her face contorted to show annoyance as she stared down at it. Splinters of wood were sticking out of the once relatively flat plank, the door was hanging off its rim by one hinge, and to make matters worse, the door was broken in half.

Great… First her door, now her window. When Kaede came over and saw this mess, she wasn't going to be able to escape the questions.

Kagome shook her head in disappointment. She didn't know what she would say or how she could fix it before the arrival… And she highly doubted there was anyway to fix it immediately. So she left it alone. Her abilities couldn't be used in this situation. She'd just have to buy a new window and door.

Her feet led her out into the hallway, despite her fear of being alone last night. She felt a renewed courage burn within her. If felt like she could do anything without any regrets today. Until Kaede arrived, anyway.

She noticed the open door across from her room. The door that led into Inuyasha's room. Kagome poked her head inside to get a look around. It was dark, but she had expected that, seeing that the sun rose on her side of the building.

Though, the atmosphere was rather… depressing. And it wasn't just because of the closed windows.

Her eyes squinted into the dimness, though it was dark, it wasn't pitch black. She could make out the outlines of things inhabiting his room. That was good enough for her. The miko scanned the room over once more before her eyes caught something a bit brighter than the other items.

There was something on his bed… A book maybe?

She wasn't really thinking when her feet crossed the room, leaning over his bed as she got a closer look at the book. It was a photo album.

Her eyes widened when they set sights upon the only picture on the page.

It was of Inuyasha… and a woman. _'Is this…' _she wondered to herself as she ran her fingers over it, checking if it were really there. _'… his mother?' _Kagome leaned in closer, her face mere inches from touching the page. She squinted from the lack of light, trying to make out the features on the woman's face.

After a while, she could see the picture perfectly. Her eyes widened in shock as she stared down upon it. _'It can't be...' _

:-:-:

The sun light was streaming through the broken window, ignoring the jagged edges that were contained. The wind blew gently as the trees outside danced. Inuyasha stared blankly at the broken window. A scowl marred his face.

'_Damn… it _was_ real…' _he cursed at himself. He was half hoping that it had all been a dream the moment he started waking up. Not just because of the damage, but because he fell asleep too. And of all places to fall asleep, in Kagome's room. Against the wall sure, but it made it even worse since she fell so close to him.

The scowl on the hanyou's face deepened as he stretched his arms from the uncomfortable stiffness. He took note of Kagome's absence and pushed it away. He was kind of relieved that she had woken up already, but at the same time it was just as embarrassing.

Inuyasha shoved the mix of thoughts deeper into his mind and chose to survey the damage of the room instead. It had already been cleaned… Well, as clean as it could get for now. The glass was clear off the floor. The broken mirror was leaning against the wall, waiting to be thrown out. And anything else that was broken or damaged was either in the trash can or next to it.

Kagome must've gotten up early this morning.

He got up on his feet and walked around noticing that she had forgotten to throw out a certain something.

Shippou was still lying on the floor, untouched. But from what Inuyasha could smell, Kagome had touched him a few hours ago. So why was he still lying on the floor?… Did he just twitch?

The phone rang down the hall, but Inuyasha didn't seem like he noticed. He bent down next to the kitsune and narrowed his eyes at it. It seemed like a stuffed animal youkai. A pretty real looking youkai in his opinion, but he couldn't see anything wrong with it. But just to make sure…

He poked at it… It twitched…

He poked at it again… it twitched more…

He poked at it a third time… Inuyasha's eyes went wide when the stuffed animal's hand came up to swap away what ever was annoying him.

Ummm…

Inuyasha stopped poking and stood up when he heard Kagome's footsteps coming down the hallway. He was going to ask her about Shippou, but was interrupted before he could get a word out.

"Oh, you're awake." She smiled at him, but then blushed faintly from the memory of this morning. Thankfully he wasn't looking at her at the time.

"Yeah," he frowned down at the youkai one last time before turning to her. She didn't notice.

"Umm, Inuyasha…" Kagome looked at him hopefully. He raised an eyebrow. "I was wondering if you could do me a favor…"

"Haven't I done enough yet?" He narrowed his eyes at her, and then groaned. "What?"

"Do you think you can fix my door and window before Kaede gets here?"

An annoyed scowl grew on his face. "Why can't you do it? You have powers don't you? Like your healing thing."

"Shhh!" She pinned him with a glare, "Don't bring that up!" He gave her a questioning look. "And you can't _heal_ a door. You have to fix it… or replace it." Kagome's hopeful face was faltering. It was starting to be obvious that this wouldn't work.

"Keh! Can't really do anything yourself can you?" he retorted and she glared at him. An annoyed growl sounded from the back of his throat when Kagome started faking an about-to-cry look… She was a good actress. "Fine!" He narrowed golden orbs on the wall beside him. "How long until she gets here?"

Kagome looked nervous, in turn making Inuyasha regret his decision. "10 minutes."

…Shit…

:-:-:-:-:-:-:

AN: -sigh- Now I'm sure that I've lost some of you. In both reading and where the plot is going. I think I've been away from the last chapters for so long that I've forgotten what happened in the past. I'm such a bad writer.

I have a feeling I put too much detail in this chapter. :sweatdrop: It moved pretty slowly, didn't it? I hope the story isn't lagging like my other fics… or fic, now.

Originally, the beginning of this chapter was supposed to be the end of last chapter. But I didn't want to be mean that time and leave you with a cliff-hanger. And about the snake… I think I got that from the Tsubaki episodes…

And no, the snake is not talking to her. Kagome is not a parselmouth… I think that's what it was called anyway. I need to read up on HP again.

There was something I noticed about last chapter. Apparently, double punctuations can't be loaded anymore, so some of my exclaimed questions are now just exclamations. I'll make sure to fix that a little bit later.

If you have any questions, comments, or just want to talk, you can AIM me at BaNaNaPOCKEYBoX.

Even better, you can leave a review! Hope you enjoyed this chappie!


	16. Uncovered

_**Alternate Reality**_

_**Chapter 16**_

_**Uncovered**_

Kagome almost dropped the bowl of food she held in her hand as she stared at the piece of work in front of her. Inuyasha sat on the hallway floor, tweaking the last hinge that needed fixing. "Done!" he exclaimed, proudly. A smile covered his face as he set the screw driver down and looked up at Kagome for breakfast. She had gone to make breakfast for the both of them while Inuyasha got to work.

She couldn't believe her eyes … "Inuyasha…?"

"Give me the food wench!" he demanded and made a grab for the bowl. Kagome moved it out of his reach, pinning him with a glare.

"What did you do…?" she stared blankly at her now "fixed" door.

Inuyasha stopped grabbing for his food and followed her gaze to the door. That's when he realized the problem. "Shit…" he growled and glared at his handy work, ears drooping.

The door was upside down.

"HOW'D YOU MANAGE TO DO THAT?" Kagome practically shrieked.

Inuyasha's ears smashed against his skull to block out her voice. "Oh, shut up! You gave me 10 minutes, wench! I had to rush!" He yelled back at her while her face grew red from anger… Only then, to mellow out when she realized that he was right.

She sighed, frustrated. "You're right… Thanks anyway." she passed him the bowl. Golden eyes brightened as he took the bowl and started scarfing down the food. Kagome left him alone to eat as she walked to the door, gripped the doorknob, and twisted. It seemed fine. At least it didn't fall over like she had expected.

Kagome pushed the door open and stepped into her room. Everything looked normal, save for the blood stain on the floor, the broken window, the few broken trinkets next to the trashcan, and Shippou, who was still asleep on the floor.

The door closed behind her with a click as she walked over to him and dropped to her knees. He was still asleep… Maybe a bit too deep in his sleep. She was starting to worry if he would never wake up. His head _had_ hit the wall pretty hard.

Kagome checked the door to see if it was still closed before she started shaking the young kitsune. "Shippou," she called out quietly.

He didn't move, but he was breathing. But she had known that already.

"Shippou-chan!" she called a bit more urgently.

The small kitsune moaned and slowly cracked his eyes open, blinking momentarily to clear away the remnants of sleep. Kagome heaved a sigh of relief when his eyes turned to her… But then they shot wide open, Shippou bolted upright.

"Where is it? What happened? Are you okay?" he shot out. His emerald eyes were wide with worry as he stared up at the miko. Kagome could only smile to help him ease his uneasiness.

"Shhh, Inuyasha's right outside the door." She cautioned quietly, though she doubted Inuyasha didn't catch the questions. Shippou's voice _had_ been pretty loud.

Shippou slapped his hands over his mouth before asking again, "Are you okay?"

Kagome nodded with a smile, "Don't worry about me, are you feeling alright?"

The kitsune took a moment to test out all his limbs and look over his skin before nodding. "I'm fine. What happened to the snake?"

"It left," she replied with a grimace as the images came flooding back at once. Shippou noticed and frowned, staring down at the carpet in front of him. He couldn't be madder at himself than that moment. He had been assigned to protect Kagome from whatever harm was to come. He had been warned of the dangers and he accepted it.

But he had failed… He blinked furiously as tears burned behind his eyes, threatening to spill over. Shippou felt guilty. The tears were just about to fall when Kagome set her hand on his head. He looked up at her smiling, yet concerned face. The moisture in his eyes stayed at bay.

"Shippou? Can I ask you for a favor?" she asked, quietly, still conscious of the hanyou outside.

Said kit blinked curiously, but nodded.

"Please don't tell Sango or Miroku about any of this," she asked of him and he froze. It was bad enough that Shippou was unable to finish half of his assignment, but to leave the other half alone.

"Kago-"

There was a knock at the door. Shippou instantly fell silent and still as the door swung open to reveal a very annoyed looking hanyou. Why he was annoyed was beyond him… Was that door always like that?

"Kaede's knocking, you might wanna get that."

Kagome gave him a look, a questioning eyebrow raised. "Why don't you get it?"

"She's here to see you isn't she? You get it."

"That's some logic you got there."

"Keh!"

With one last sigh, Kagome moved to stand up and walk across the room to meet with him. And with that the door swung closed with a click. Shippou released a breath he didn't know he was holding as he heard the voices leave.

"Who were you talking to?"

"None of your business."

There was a snort. "The crazy girl is starting to talk to herself. Maybe we should call one of those crazy houses... Hey! Was that supposed to hurt?"

Kagome groaned, silencing all other comments.

:-:-:

It only took one knock until Kagome made it to the door. Before she knew it, the front door swung open, her hand lying on the doorknob, to reveal the old lady known as Kaede. Kagome smiled as the woman before her reflected her gesture. "It's good to see you again Kagome!" she moved in to give her pupil a hug.

"It's good to see you too," she answered, still shaking slightly from nervousness. Kagome only hoped that Kaede didn't notice. When they pulled away from each other, Kaede didn't look like she had. Kagome breathed.

There was a cough from behind them.

The old woman tiptoed to peer over Kagome's shoulder. "Inuyasha," she nodded at him.

"Hag," he acknowledged from his seat on the couch.

Kagome pinned him with an annoyed glare. He glared back, "What? She started it!" he defended. She rolled her eyes and shook her head. There wasn't any urge to answer that.

"Would you like some tea?" she asked. The old woman had now taken to wandering around the living room.

A smile replaced the small scowl on the woman's face. "Tea would be great," she nodded, sending Kagome off into the kitchen. The sound of clinking glasses could be heard moments later.

Inuyasha snorted.

That got Kaede's attention.

"So, how have you been treating her Inuyasha?"

"Not abusing her, if that's what you're thinking." He snorted, staring out the clear sliding door with a frown, his chin resting in the palm of his hand.

"I wasn't…" she stated and took a final sweep around the room before seating herself in one of the empty chairs. "Are you alright with her staying here?"

"I couldn't care less…"

"Would you mind if she continued staying here?"

"Keh!"

"Would you be happy if she left?"

Inuyasha hesitated just a tiny bit before answering. "… Keh!"

Kaede raised an eyebrow. There was no way she could've missed that pause. "Do you like her?"

Inuyasha's head slipped out of his hand as he almost stumbled off the couch. But, being the hanyou that he was, he caught himself. A faint flush of red took over his face. "WHAT THE HELL?" he burst out, shooting out of his seat as he glared at the old woman.

'_There's the normal Inuyasha_," Kaede thought to herself and chuckled. She couldn't tell if the redness was because of embarrassment or anger… she chose the latter.

"Tea's ready!" Kagome called as her bare feet padded across the carpet. A tray with drinks lay in her hands and she set them on the table when she was close enough. She hadn't heard most of the conversation, but _had_ heard Inuyasha's sudden burst. "What are you mad about?" she pinned Inuyasha with look.

Inuyasha fell back onto the couch with a growl. "Nothing," he bit out as he snatched up the bottle of water Kagome had set out for him. Tea was as nasty as shit!

Kagome shook her head again but shooed the matter away before she got hung up over it. "So Kaede, how have you been?"

"I've been alright," the old lady took a sip of her tea before continuing. "And you?"

"Great!" Kagome smiled, Inuyasha snorted at her cheeriness.

Kaede smiled back. "How are you doing here? Do you like it?" Kagome nodded as she took a sip of her water. She didn't like tea either. The questions continued, but not one she expected. "May I use your bathroom?"

Kagome stared up at her from the floor, looking just a little bit nervous. But only the hanyou noticed. "Sure, it's the last room down the hallway, on your right." She instructed as Kaede moved down the corridor. Kagome hesitantly followed far behind and held her breath when Kaede had stopped to stare at Kagome's door.

The upside down door.

That was undoubtedly going to raise eyebrows.

Thankfully, Kaede continued down the hallway and the bathroom door closed.

The air Kagome had been holding released and she quickly darted to her room, swinging the door open. Shippou jumped from the sudden intrusion. Kagome quickly, but quietly, trotted over to him and picked him up, setting him on the crimson blood stain on the floor. From Kagome's point of view, she couldn't see the stain at all anymore. It was completely covered thanks to Shippou.

"Wha-?"

"Shhh, just sit here and don't move. You know Kaede right?"

Shippou nodded vigorously.

"If she talks to you, you can talk back, just don't let her move you." She directed and Shippou nodded to confirm her orders. Kagome smiled at him one last time before promising the kitsune a big chocolate bar after this was over. The big grin on his face couldn't be beaten.

Wasting no more time, Kagome padded over to her window and pulled the blinds down. Blocking out the light, but at the same time it was blocking out the view of the broken window. Kagome fleetingly thought about covering it up with an illusional barrier, but then stopped when she realized she hadn't learned how to yet. And even if she did, Kaede could sense magic at work. She would know if Kagome's barrier was up or not.

Brushing off the thoughts, she paced over to the trash can and picked it up. Without any delay she trudged over to Inuyasha's room and dropped the can behind the bed where it couldn't be seen. She doubted Inuyasha would mind… At least, she hoped he wouldn't.

All that left was the mirror… Without thinking about it much, she decided to toss that with the other broken stuff in the hanyou's room.

"Early Christmas present?" Inuyasha asked from behind her. He had come in time to see her throw the mirror into his room.

Kagome laughed. "Yup!"

The doorknob to the bathroom started turning while Inuyasha and Kagome rushed back to the living room, acting as if they hadn't done anything.

Kaede marched down the hallway and sat back onto the couch, not noticing the flustered looks on the teens faces. The questioning continued "How have your studies been, Kagome?"

"Fine." She squeaked nervously, having forgot about her studies after last night.

"May I see?"

Inuyasha twitched his ears at the conversation, but didn't look away from the view outside. See her studies? What was she going to do? Look at her homework?... Unless she meant something that mages did. He did recall reading something about Kaede training her in her diary.

Kagome didn't answer right away due to nervousness. "Alright."

"Why don't you show me in your room."

"Okay…" Kagome stood up and led the way to the hallway.

Inuyasha would've followed, but he figured that would be a bit odd. So he stayed behind, clicking the remote as the TV blinked before him.

This was going to be one boring day.

:-:-:

"How far have you gotten?"

"Chapter 12."

"My, Kagome, you've fallen behind."

Kagome sighed.

Kaede smiled and nodded, "That's alright, we'll just catch you up a bit today. Let me just open the blinds and we'll get started."

Kagome panicked and quickly flicked her hands towards the light switch by her door. The switch flipped to the on position and light erupted from the bulb in the lamp beside her bed. Kaede stopped, her hand just a small distance from the blinds' cord. She sent a questioning look at Kagome.

"We don't want anyone to see," she answered the unasked question. Kaede nodded knowingly and left the blinds alone. But then she spotted Shippou sitting on the floor and she walked over to him.

"It's good to see you again Shippou," she greeted, patting the kitsune's head with a smile.

"You too," he smiled back and sat there, not budging even a little from his spot on the floor. He chanced a glance at Kagome while Kaede was looking around the room. She smiled at him. He was getting that chocolate bar for sure now. He couldn't help the greedy smile that grew on his face.

"Have you been having any problems Kagome?" The old woman asked as she strode around the room, inspecting the different trinkets she passed by.

"Not at all," Kagome answered, not missing how Kaede shot her a suspicious glance before continuing her inspection.

Kagome would've been sweating rain drops by now had she not trained her to keep herself controlled. When Kaede finished her inspection, Kagome found it a little bit easier to breathe.

"Alright then Kagome," she started and stood in the middle of the room, "Today we'll be talking about how sense magic at work…"

The younger miko bit her lower lip and tensed. She had a feeling she knew where this was going.

"But to master this, you must know how to sense traces of magic first…" Kaede glanced at Kagome's nervous face before continuing. "Like the ones left on your broken window."

Kagome flinched and watched as the blinds covering the glass were drawn up by invisible forces. The sharp, jagged edges of glass seemed even uglier than it did this morning. Kagome felt her body grow cold as the image of the vicious creature from the night before flashed through her mind.

Kaede noticed her reaction and shook her head. She was disappointed, she had thought that Kagome knew enough to report anything dangerous happening. Especially anything that was happening to her.

The old miko strode over to Kagome, who had her eyes glued to the floor and her fists clenched tightly at her sides.

Kagome couldn't help but feel like she was a little girl again. Being scolded for something she did wrong, it felt shameful. Shippou stared up at her, concerned now that she was frozen and speechless.

"What happened, Kagome?"

The girl couldn't answer. She felt as if answering would just make everything worse. And it probably would. She shook her head.

Kaede put her hand on Kagome's shoulder, already having an idea of what happened. "Why didn't you tell us?"

Kagome frowned, "… I don't know," she answered, not wanting to voice her real reasons.

Kaede smiled sadly. "I know you're not telling the truth."

The younger miko looked away to avoid her teacher's scrutinizing gaze.

Kaede frowned momentarily but the allowed a soft smile to surface on her face. "I won't force you to tell me now, but please just tell us next time. This is important."

"Okay," Kagome nodded, mad at herself. Half of her mind was screaming at her for not giving in and telling anyone of her problem, the other was angry for getting caught.

Kaede turned away from Kagome, walking over to the shattered window and running her finger over the sharp edges. She didn't flinch when she cut herself against it but instead rubbed the blood away between the pads of her fingers.

"I take it Inuyasha knows about this?"

Kagome remained silent, but that only answered Kaede's question.

"I had a feeling he would find out sooner or later. He's a very nosey boy." Kagome couldn't help the small chuckle that left her. "But that's not the problem I'm concerned about, so we'll worry about it later."

"But what will happen?" Kagome interjected before Kaede changed the subject. "They won't do it will they? His-"

"Shhh," Kaede hushed, ending the rant. "We'll talk about this later. For now there are more pressing matters."

Kagome looked up at her and listened.

"We should've told you this sooner…"

:-:-:

How much longer was this gonna take?

Inuyasha clicked the buttons on the remote, staying on each channel for three seconds or less before he lost interest. He huffed when he got to the news… again. This was what? The 25th time he passed that channel? He groaned and dropped the remote on the couch. The wait was getting annoying. What the heck were they talking about in there anyway?

He twitched his ears to pick up any sound he could find… Nothing… It was silent. Weren't they supposed to be talking?

Suddenly, there was a click down the hall and the sound of the door opening reached his ears. He reclined his feet on the coffee table and leaned back on the couch, acting as casual as he could. Despite the ominous dread he was starting to feel. As to why, he didn't know.

Kaede strode back to the living room first, soon followed by an expressionless Kagome. He tilted his head to the side and stared at her. It wasn't like her to be that blank. The only times she had been like that was when she had been attacked.

What was going on?

"Inuyasha," Kaede started and Inuyasha shot a glare. "I assume you know about Kagome's abilities?" She asked him with a pinning stare, daring him to lie. Inuyasha raised an eyebrow not knowing how to answer. He thought Kagome didn't want Kaede to know.

The hanyou looked to the other girl before answering. She nodded, assuring him that it was fine, even though the look on her face didn't really convince him. "Yeah," he drawled.

If he didn't know better, Kaede almost looked like she was happy about it. "I see… Well then, you'll need to pass by the base sometime. It will be a bit of trouble but Kagome will need to stop by more often so…" Kaede babbled as the hanyou ignored her.

Kagome looked stunned. She didn't think it would lead to this. She expected her to be a bit more… strict.

"We'll talk about everything later. For now, I will take my leave." The old woman walked to the front door but stopped as Kagome followed her. "Remember what we talked about," she warned. Kagome nodded.

Inuyasha tilted his head, confused. He hadn't heard them talking at all.

And with that, Kaede slipped out the door, leaving the teens to themselves.

As soon as the door clicked Kagome strode over to the couch and dropped herself onto it, sitting on the opposite side of Inuyasha. She brushed her bangs out of her eyes slowly as she took a deep breath in, trying to let all the information she obtained sink in.

It didn't seem possible… Not at all… But even when she thought that, everything made sense. She just didn't want to believe any of it.

Inuyasha eyed her with a frown on his face. She had made a big deal about anyone finding out about him knowing before, but now that it actually happened, he didn't see what she was so worried about. When Kagome sat still on the couch longer than he expected, he decided to ask. "What's wrong wench?"

Kagome dropped her hands off her eyes and shot him a glare. "Nothing…"

"Don't give me that wench. I know it ain't nothing."

The miko gave him a side-long glare. "You don't need to know," she slouched even more on the couch, trying to find comfort. The clutter of thoughts in her mind was overwhelming.

Inuyasha didn't know what irritated him more. Kagome's stubbornness or his recently achieved excessive worrying.

He pinned her with a glare and growled, fire raging behind his eyes. "Like fuck I don't need to know!" he stomped over to her in an instant. Kagome almost jumped at how fast he had moved. "After what happened last night you at least owe me that!"

Kagome stared surprisingly at him but then looked away. He _had _helped her out during the times after she had been attacked. She hated to admit it, but she at least owed him the whole explanation, even if it would cause more trouble for him. She shook her head and gave in. "Fine…" Inuyasha stared intently, waiting. "But go back to the couch, you're making me nervous."

"Keh!" He saddled back over to the couch anyway. He narrowed golden eyes on her, Kagome felt even stiffer than before. "Talk."

Kagome sighed, "Impatient, aren't we?" That only earned her a bigger glare. She shook her head at is irritation.

"Get on with it wench." He tapped a claw against her arm.

She glared at him before taking a deep breath. "I'm being targeted."

"Like I haven't figured that out…" he drawled earning him a glare.

"If you're gonna act like that then I don't think I want to tell you anymore!"

"Ok fine!" he huffed and sat back, trying to regain seriousness. This wasn't something to take lightly, according to the distress on Kagome's face and scent.

She sighed and rested a hand on her forehead, leaning back in her seat, still trying to grasp the meaning behind her words before voicing them. "I'm being targeted… for my powers…"

The hanyou on the couch stared and blinked at her. He obviously wasn't following the same train of thought Kagome was. But that was due to lack of knowledge.

"You know how I have healing powers, right?" he nodded, though she doubted that he would forget after experiencing her abilities first hand. "Healing magic is a rare ability for a mage to inherit." She let her hand fall from her forehead and instead put them in her lap, reviewing the information in her head.

Inuyasha looked at her curiously, "How rare?"

"Very rare," she didn't look away from him, visibly telling him through every sense that this was critical. "It's been said that the last person with healing powers died over 100 years ago… It's been a mythical thing to hear of ever since."

That got his attention, his eyes frowned at her. "And you got it?"

She nodded. "Unfortunately…" she gazed sadly out the sliding door remembering the trouble it had caused her. "It's been more trouble than it's really worth, but that's beside the point." The miko waved it off and went back to the topic. "What I'm saying is that since I'm the only one who has it in this century, I'm being targeted by a mage killer."

Inuyasha tilted his head to the side. "A mage-?"

"Mage killer," she repeated. "There's an old spell that has to do with mages and their powers. It's been forbidden for years but some mages still find a way around the restrictions."

The hanyou nodded to show he was following, tapping a claw against his crossed arm. "And this spell does--?"

She sighed and looked down at the floor, twisting her fingers nervously. She had never been comfortable with this idea. "It's a spell that can absorb a mage's power at the time of a victim's death. The caster of the spell can then take that power and use it for themselves." Kagome vaguely noticed that she sounded like she was reading this from a book.

"I bet you can guess the rest…"

"Mage killers take advantage of the spell, right?"

Kagome nodded blankly.

"And since your powers are so rare they want it for themselves." Inuyasha stated rather than asked, still pinning Kagome with a stare.

She nodded again, a bit more solemnly.

Inuyasha's frown deepened. "I don't see the point," he huffed and fell back in his seat on the couch from the tension that caused him to lean in.

Kagome asked with a raised eyebrow. "What's not to get?"

"Even if they want to get powerful by gaining more power, wouldn't it be obvious to other people what they're doing if they suddenly have a new power?" Kagome nodded, already having thought that a long time ago. "So what's the point? They can't use it if they don't wanna get caught."

Kagome cast her eyes around the room before settling on him again. Her mind ran through her words before she started. A barely audible gulp came from her. "There's an old myth in the organization," she started, twiddling her thumbs in the process. "It says that if someone possesses every power known, then a wish can be granted."

Inuyasha growled and flexed his claws. "A wish…?" He leered at her accusingly. "Someone's trying to kill you for a fuckin' wish?"

The miko sighed, "The wish doesn't have any limits. You could wish for anything you wanted." She waved that notion off, "But it's just a myth for now. No one's been able to see if it's true."

"I would hope not…" Inuyasha growled as he leered at the opposite wall.

Kagome sensed his frustration and waved everything off. "Don't worry about it, I can handle it with Kaede's help." Even though she said that, Inuyasha could still see the doubt in her eyes. "I'll be fine." She smiled a smile she hoped was reassuring.

Inuyasha shook his head at her with a glare. "You're lying."

Kagome narrowed her eyes. "No I'm not."

"Yes you are."

"No I'm not."

"Yes you are!"

"No I'm not!"

"Yes you are dammit! And you know it!"

Kagome looked like she was going to argue back but figured it was a waste of time to fight with such a stubborn hanyou. Even if she did want to fight back, he knew that she was lying. And so did she. She wrinkled her nose at the thought. She felt as if Inuyasha could see right through her. It went without saying that it felt uncomfortable.

The miko pushed her thoughts away and strayed away at from the bickering. "Anyway, Kaede wants me to pass by the base after school on Monday…" she sounded like she was going to add more but stopped. Inuyasha couldn't help but notice the falter.

"So…?" He stared at her suspiciously.

"Well… Kaede wants you to come with me."

Inuyasha looked disbelieving. "Why?"

Kagome looked as if she were mortified. "She doesn't want me walking around town on my own anymore." She let her head fall into her raised hand and grumbled. "Probably worried that I'll be attacked in public sometime soon."

"Can't Sango or Miroku take you?" He scowled. He _really _didn't feel like playing escort.

"Kaede said they'd be busy then, and I'd rather not get picked up by one of the officials by car." She looked up at him with hopeful eyes. "So, can you?"

Kagome shifted uncomfortably as Inuyasha sent her a side-long stare, scrutinizing her as if she was keeping something else from him. She could honestly tell him that she wasn't hiding anything else from him, but still his gaze made her feel awkward.

When he finally looked away from her she visibly relaxed as he stood from his spot on the couch. "Fine," he scowled and stomped towards the kitchen to get something to eat. It was already nearing lunch time. "Can't really do anything yourself, can you wench?" he grumbled loud enough for her to hear

The girl on the couch turned around to face his back with a retort on the tip of her tongue, but then stopped herself. His ears twitched atop his head as he distinctively avoided her gaze. Kagome couldn't help but smile.

"Oh!" she gasped as she remembered something, clapping her hands in realization. "There's someone you should meet." Inuyasha watched as she paced down the hallway and flashed him a smile before disappearing into her room. He raised a questioning eyebrow as one of his snow white ears twitched curiously.

Seconds later Kagome emerged from her room.

Why did he feel a sense of foreboding when Kagome came back with the stuffed animal kitsune in her arms?

He could only wonder.

:-:-:

AN: To celebrate AR's 1 year anniversary! This chapter had to be rushed to make the deadline (since I had homework and all that), so I may have to re-type it later when I have the chance.

Also, do you guys think the label "Mage killer" sounds lame? I kind of think so. If you have any suggestions for a different name for these people, please post them in a review and I'll see if I want to replace it. If I do you will be credited. Suggestions are very helpful!

If you haven't already, I hope you read my other fanfic "Eternal Snow"! I'm really enjoying the ideas of this fic in particular. But I can't help but feel that I mooched off of other peoples' ideas. –cries- I'm going to work hard for ES as well as AR because I love them both! Wish me luck!

Please Review! You don't know how happy it makes me to get feedback from you guys… even if it _is_ negative.


	17. Secret Base

_**Alternate Reality**_

_**Chapter 17**_

_**Secret Base**_

There was a time in Inuyasha's life where he had been fond of old children's stories; where a magician would isolate himself in the forest in order to improve his magic, only to be found by a little boy or girl who would save him from the loneliness. He had always imagined a magician's home or base to be woodsy, maybe even a dug out rock, or something of the sort.

This was _nothing_ like those old stories.

"Ow!" Kagome yelped in the dark as she felt around the walls of the room. From what the hanyou could make out, the girl had hit her head on a shelf.

Inuyasha stood by the closed door in the back of the room. He didn't really understand what kind of business Kagome would have in an abandoned shed in the very back of the park, but then again, he didn't think he'd ever truly understand this mage stuff.

"Need some help?" he drawled, tapping his claws against his folded arms. He was starting to grow impatient, especially in such a cramped place with the strong scent of mold.

He heard the clatter of a cardboard box as Kagome caught herself against the wall, obviously tripping over another raised floor board. "I'm fine," she replied quickly before continuing her search, groping the flat walls of the wooden shed.

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow, "What the hell are you looking for anyway?"

Kagome sensed the irritation in his voice, "A swi- Oh! Found it!" She cheered as she tapped her hand against a certain spot on the wall. The hanyou's ears twitched as he picked up the sound of wood scraping against wood.

"What the h-?"

"Come here," Kagome commanded, breaking him off as she nabbed his wrist and pulled him forward.

"Oi! Oi! What the heck are you doing!" he pulled his wrist out of her clutches.

"I need you to cooperate if we're gonna get in, so stop being such a baby." She scolded and grabbed his wrist again, pressing his palm against the same spot on the wall that she had tapped earlier.

"What the hell?" he murmured and pulled his hand away when she let go.

"Shhh!" A ticking sound could be faintly heard. "Can you tell where that ticking is coming from?"

"Keh! Of course, what d'you take me for?"

"Where is it?" Kagome asked, grabbing his hand so he could lead her there.

Inuyasha ignored Kagome's gesture for now and twitched his ears to pinpoint the source of the sound. "This way," he groaned, frustrated as to how long this was taking. From what he could tell, he could've been done with all his homework in the time that it took to find this stupid base thing.

He kicked away an empty cardboard box that had been blocking the source of the sound. "Is it behind the wall?"

"Yeah," Kagome let go of his hand and kneeled in front of the wall.

Inuyasha stood behind her, arms folded as he stood impatiently. This just _had_ to be a complete waste of his time. What exactly did Kagome have to do here anyway? Most likely the place she was talking about was going to be full of old magic farts from what he could imagine. Even though he didn't really have any idea about this whole "Mage Slayer" stuff, he doubted things here would make anything any different.

All of a sudden Kagome grabbed Inuyasha's hand, but this time was even more surprising as she jerked him down forcefully, knocking him off his feet. "What the hell!"

Kagome put his hand over hers on the wall.

Inuyasha's eyes widened… that was unexpected. "What the hell are you doing!" he barked, as flashes from the other night flew through his mind… Close contact was going to be a real problem from now on.

"It's what we have to do to get in." Kagome replied calmly as a faint blue light formed around their hands. She stared down at his face questioningly, "Why are you being so weird today?"

"…Keh!" Inuyasha didn't feel like answering that right now. He was starting to get anxious when she finally let go of his hand.

"There," she sighed as she moved away the wooden plank she had been holding. Inuyasha picked himself up and stared over Kagome's shoulder. Immediately, bright light assaulted his eyes as he blinked away his blindness. After a while his vision returned to him and he gaped. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"No… way…"

"What?" Kagome stared at his surprised expression. "Something wrong?"

Inuyasha sighed, "No Kagome, nothing's wrong," he drawled sarcastically, "I just don't think I've ever seen a stadium behind the wall of an abandoned shed in the park."

The hanyou squinted his eyes and scrutinized the scene before him. Even though Kagome had only taken out one reasonably large plank of wood, it was enough space to see at least a quarter of the sight before him. Beyond the wall was what seemed to be a conference room of some sort. But instead of having walls on all four sides, the wall directly across from them was a window that overlooked the ground below. How there could be a ground below beyond a shed wall was beyond him.

Yup… This was definitely not one of those fairy tale books.

Kagome laughed as the shock on his face refused to withdraw. "Come on," she grabbed his hand, he gawked at it. "We're already late!" The girl smiled as she took a step through the crack while dragging Inuyasha behind her.

"On the contrary, Kagome."

Kagome spun around and searched for the source of the voice. It didn't take long until she located the door and her friend beside it with a smile on his face. "Miroku," she acknowledged with surprise, eyes wide open. If she remembered correctly, Kaede had said that he and Sango were going to be busy today.

The dark-haired boy pushed himself off the door frame he had been leaning against and walked over to Kagome. "It's good to see you got here safely," Miroku smiled down at her.

Kagome nodded and changed the subject, "What did you mean bye 'on the contrary'?" She asked quizically, somewhat confused as she spied the clock on the wall. "Kaede told me to be here at 3:30," she looked back to Miroku demanding an answer as the clock now read 3:45.

"About that," Miroku trailed as he chuckled. "We've noticed that you've been late to almost all of your appointments," Kagome looked away nervously. "So we gave you an earlier time so you would actually make it on time."

The miko's eyes grew wide at this information as a smile tugged at her lips. Then she realized something, her personal best time for getting through security was 30 minutes.

"How long did it take me to get through that?" Kagome pointed back at the narrow hole in the wall, indicating the shed she had just rummaged through.

"Umm... 15 minutes?" Miroku guessed and Kagome squealed, momentarily celebrating her personal victory. "I would think it'd be easier if you brought him along," Miroku turned his attention to his hanyou friend who had taken to pressing himself against the glass window overlooking the stadium and ogling at it.

Kagome laughed, "Oh well, i'm still counting it," she declared proudly, an unbeatable smile on her face.

"Miroku!" A female voice shouted, "They're not- Oh! Kagome, you're early!" Sango smiled as she stepped through and noticed her friend. She was going to say something else until she noticed the person at the window. Her eyes blinked rapidly to discern whether he was really there or not.

He was there.

"Inuyasha..." Sango started, not sure how she should have reacted to this. "I didn't know you were coming." Inuyasha refused to cease his staring out the window.

Miroku put a finger to his chin, feigning innocence, "Hmm... Did I forget to tell you?"

Sango rolled her eyes and shook her head at him. "Thanks Miroku, now I know why the last slot was empty." The disgruntled girl folded her arms and glared at her childhood friend, "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go and clear it."

The boy raised an eyebrow at the girl. "What do you mean you have to clear it? Wasn't it originally empty?"

"It _was_," Sango began, "But a certain somebody forgot to tell me who was coming today, so I asked Kouga to fill the spot."

"Uh-oh."

"Yeah," Sango sighed and rubbed at her temple, "Now I need to convince him that we don't need his help."

"I'll help," Miroku pitched in.

"Actually no," Sango turned him down but sent him a mischevious smile. "You're not gonna help, you're _going_ to tell him that we don't need his help today and live through whatever wrath he sends at you."

"_What?_" Her companion practically shrieked.

"That's what you get for trying to surprise me." Sango glared at him and unfolded her arms. Her expression softened when she swtiched her attention from the idiot to her best friend. "Kagome, we'll start whenever you're ready, so just come meet us downstairs when you like."

"Alright," Kagome answered, "Who's first?"

The magenta-eyed girl smiled at her, "Me," she answered nonchalantly. Kagome's eyes widened instantly, she hadn't been expecting that. Sango noticed the surprise on her face and added, "Don't worry, it's not that kind of training. It's a bit different this time"

"Ok," Kagome answered and watched her friend disappear out the door and down the stairs. Miroku hesitantly followed. "Good luck, Miroku!" Kagome tried to cheer him up for his punishment task. She just barely heard the held back cry as he disappeared as well.

Kagome grimaced. She knew that Kouga wasn't a person who would take no for an answer sometimes.

She padded over to the window and stared down into the brightly litten stadium. She wasn't completely sure if it was suited to be called a stadium though. To her it looked more like a modern day collesium. Her eyes scrutinized the empty area as memories of training there flooded her mind. After years of training in a place very similar to here, she had never completely grasped the capabilities of the arena.

Blue eyes shifted to the side, her hanyou companion still staring... with wide eyes.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome snapped him out of his stupor. The dog-eared boy automatically shifted eyes on her, a dumbfounded look on his face. Kagome smiled nervously.

He instantly regained his composure and stuffed his hands in his pockets, eyes narrowing on the scene before him. "What exactly do you do here?" he inquired.

"We train," Kagome answered blatantly.

An eyebrow raised, "How do you train?"

Kagome smiled up at him brightly, "You'll see in a bit," she turned towards the door. "I gotta get ready, you just stay here and watch." The girl commanded and he glared at her.

"You dragged me all the way here to watch?"

"Yeah, pretty much," Kagome nodded and laughed when his face suddenly darkened. "Don't worry, Kaede will probably pass by and talk to you. So you won't be lonely."

"I think i'd rather be lonely than talk to the hag," Inuyasha grumbled under his breath, folding his arms across his chest like a child.

Kagome nervously patted his arm, "Fine, when we get home i'll pay you back, okay?"

That caught his interest, "With what?" he looked to her, a smile tugging at his lips.

"Hmm.." Kagome put a finger to her chin and stared up at the cieling, "I'm not sure yet, but we'll figure it out later okay? I'm late." With that settled, she ignored the fuming hanyou behind her and left the room before he blew up on her.

A smile tugged on her lips as she ran down the steps. It had been a while since she had gotten back to training. She had to admit, one of the best parts of being a mage was the chance to train like this with great people, fun programs, and exhilaration.

She thought back on what Sango and Miroku were talking about earlier.

A frown crossed her face as she thought.

What was this empty slot that they were talking about?

:-:-:

"You ready Kagome?" Miroku asked the girl as she stared out among the environment of the stadium.

"Yeah," Kagome sighed, a serious look planted on her face. She didn't know what to expect from this round of training, especially if she was with Sango. The only thing she knew about Sango's powers was that she could summon, but so far the only creature she knew her friend could summon was Shippou. What else did she have up her sleeve?

"You sure?" Miroku asked again.

"Yes," she almost hissed, getting a bit impatient with her friend.

"Alright," he set his hand upon the wall, a neon blue light outlined the print as a clear barrier dissipated before them. "Good luck."

Kagome nodded and stepped forward, leaving the dark hallway and entering the wide open area of the stadium. She squinted when she noticed a similar barrier dissipating on the opposite end of her.

Sango emerged on the other side, her dagger in her hand and a smile on her face. She didn't look at all worried.

Kagome couldn't help but smile back.

"Alright ladies," Miroku's voice boomed over the speaker. Sango's smile faltered at the sound. "Here are the rules for this round..."

:-:-:

Inuyasha twitched his ears and folded his arms when he heard the pervert's voice.

Yup, he really wanted to hear that right now.

A frown grew on his face when he kept talking.

"Here are the rules for this round... Both of you have to survive 10 minutes through the obstacles that will be sent at you. Good luck!"

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at the two girls on the field. What exactly would they need to survive?

:-:-:

"Survival training?" Kagome looked surprised.

"Told you it would be different." Sango smiled.

"Well," Kagome trailed off as she quickly grabbed a hair tie in her pocket and tied her hair back, "This should be fun."

"Of course it will," Sango smiled and readied her dagger, "You're with me."

Kagome giggled as she over heard the automated countdown over the loud speaker.

"3,"

"You ready?"

"Yup!" Kagome replied as she stood back-to-back with Sango, getting herself ready for any oncoming actions; senses heightening as time slipped by.

"2,"

"We need a picture like this," Sango joked.

Kagome laughed.

"1."

It was silent. The atmosphere suddenly got heavy as their joking attitudes automatically dropped. This was the only time when Kagome could stand silences.

Something suddenly overtook Kagome, a bone chilling feeling ran up her spine as she looked around. This feeling was definitely familiar. It was one that she wished she would never have to feel again.

A whizzing sound rang through the air and Kagome's eyes shot wide open. Her hand flew out and she gripped it into a fist. Blue sparks flew out; the barrier she had used from time to time set itself up as it blocked the assailing item aimed at her. She released her hold as the sound of the object clattering to the ground reached her ears. Blue eyes automatically spotted it, now knowing what to expect from this round.

She froze as fear gripped her heart.

It was a dagger.

:-:-:

Inuyasha was surprised... Okay, maybe more than surprised. Shocked was probably a more suitable word to define his expression. He hadn't been expecting anything like that. A dagger suddenly flying out of nowhere seemed a bit too extreme for training. Blue sparks? What power of Kagome's was that? He had never seen that...

Now that he thought about it, he had never really seen what Kagome was completely capable of. Ever since that stuffed animal thing came home with Kagome she never used her powers in the house anymore.

So this was out of nowhere.

The hanyou narrowed his eyes as the training progressed, but something was wrong. Kagome was frozen to the spot. A light shade of concern overtook him as Sango began to move away from the flying knives, but Kagome was frozen... She didn't dare move.

What was wrong with her?

Inuyasha practically jumped when he noticed a knife flying directly at her. Thankfully, it seemed like she finally snapped herself out of it and dodged it, but just barely. He saw Sango calling out to her with worry on her face. That was when Kagome turned around...

Golden eyes widened at the sight of the cut.

A frown grew on his face as he remembered the last time she had a cut there.

He didn't have long to ponder on it though when Sango suddenly swiped at the air with her own dagger. A rift of light remained in the area where her dagger had grazed against...

Okay... now he had to be dreaming...

A big fire cat youkai had just jumped out of it.

:-:-:

"Are you alright, Kagome?" Sango asked her friend as the buzzer rang through the air, indicating that the trial was over.

"Yeah," Kagome answered as she hopped off of the fire cat (which she learned was named Kirara) she had been riding. She ran her hand over her eyes as she massaged the strain she had applied against them.

Sango stared at her, concern evident on her face. "What happened to you when we started?"

Kagome's eyes widened, but then relaxed. She knew she could tell Sango now that the organization knew what was happening to her. But now wasn't the time for it. "I'll tell you later," Kagome replied, a soft smile playing on her lips, calming Sango's concern in the process.

"Alright," she beamed back and patted her on the shoulder. "Get ready for the next round… Kaede made sure we had this obstacle. I'm not really sure why, but it's pretty hard." Sango pondered.

"Okay," the raven-haired girl answered. "Who am I working with this time?"

"Miroku," Sango chuckled when Kagome looked nervous. Miroku was an element user of the wind, so it would be a bit challenging to work with something you can't see. Kagome knew of his powers, so it wouldn't be as surprising as hers.

Unknowingly to her, Kagome had an inkling of where this training session was going.

And if she was right, it was going to be like living through the past few weeks over again.

:-:-:

Inuyasha frowned at the scene through the window. From what Sango had announced over the loud speaker, the second round was another survival trial. This time Miroku was Kagome's partner. But that wasn't the only difference between the first and second round. Golden eyes squinted, trying to ascertain anything different from the past few seconds.

Now there was no apparent obstacle.

However, it did seem that difficulties had indeed arisen.

The two downy ears on top of his head twitched. He could hear the intense rush of the wind against the window. It wasn't normal for the air to move that fast unless there was something akin to a hurricane occurring inside the stadium.

And that obviously wasn't the case from what he could tell by sight.

The deep frown on his face grew when Kagome and Miroku began to run from their invisible problems.

What the hell were they running from?

Miroku stretched out his arms, swinging them this way and that like an idiot. The hanyou raised an eyebrow at his friend's actions. What was he doing?

Kagome had resorted to her teleportation techniques to escape whatever was after them. Inuyasha wanted to smile and mentally congratulate her for being smart unlike his "dancing" friend, but didn't have the chance to finish the thought.

When the girl had moved to transport herself again she suddenly collapsed to the ground when she applied weight to her leg. Clutching it, she called out to Miroku, alerting him to her predicament.

Inuyasha didn't need to be close to recognize the injury like last time. Her ankle had just been cut in the same way it had been when she returned home cut to ribbons.

He watched when Miroku finally made his way over to her; she gripped her ankle, a light green glow framing her hand. That's when the growl forming in the back of his throat let loose, a certain woman's scent hitting his nose. "What's happening to them, hag?" The furious and rather confused hanyou rounded on the old lady behind him.

She was unfazed by his sudden outburst. "They are dealing with the wind," she responded nonplussed as she joined him at the window.

"Wind?" he raised an eyebrow at her.

She nodded, her face remained expressionless. Silences exchanged between them before Kaede caught the look of realization cross over Inuyasha's face. "And if you're thinking that what Kagome was attacked by a few weeks ago was the wind…" she trailed off as she now mirrored Inuyasha's concerned frown. "Then you are correct."

Inuyasha growled under his breath. "So this creep can control wind too?"

"Yes."

He turned his attention back to the training session; Kagome was still in the process of healing herself as Miroku continued swinging his arms around. What the hell was he doing? And why were they running at first when they could have just hidden behind Kagome's barrier the whole time? "She can't use her barrier?" He asked, anxious to know more about Kagome's abilities.

Kaede grinned lightly at him. "So you are familiar with her powers now, huh?" Inuyasha remained silent. "You've realized that the barrier is like an encasing bubble, yes?"

He nodded.

"The barrier is not an alternate dimension," she informed; surprisingly she found that Inuyasha's ears were trained on her. "There is still air inside the barrier. If the mage is capable of manipulating that air in an enclosed area that would-"

"Do more harm than good." He finished for her, getting the point. "So why isn't she getting hurt now?" He inquired as he stared at Kagome the way she was. She was out in the open and unmoving, but from what he could tell she didn't have another scratch on her.

"Miroku is a wind user," Kaede stated, knowing Inuyasha could put two and two together.

Inuyasha understood and nodded, folding his arms over his chest as she continued to watch. His eyebrows kitting together as Kagome got up again, leaving Miroku's side to try again on her own.

He pondered as he watched her struggle to dodge the indefinable winds. What would she do if she were attacked like this again outside of training? What would happen if she were alone and couldn't do anything to protect herself?

She would be helpless… Just like the last time.

A picture of her tear-streaked face looking up at him from the other night flashed through his mind and he stiffened at the memory. She had been so scared then. He didn't think he could even imagine the horror she had endured in order to make her that hysterical. It was… unnerving.

And she definitely didn't deserve it.

Kaede made a turn to leave, heading towards the door that led to the staircase. She wasn't expecting the hanyou to say anything more, but she couldn't say that she wasn't hoping he would.

"Is there any way I could help her?" he asked seriously.

The old miko looked surprised at him. "What can you do?" she asked spitefully, "A youkai wouldn't be able to help a mage. If something like the wind comes to attack Kagome would physical attacks be able to help her?" she asked, making Inuyasha think.

There was silence as Inuyasha took another look out the window. Kaede had a point. If Kagome were in trouble like she was in now, how could he help her?

He cast a look to the ground in thought. Kaede scrutinized the emotions playing on his face. There was something she never thought she would see there ever again.

It was determination.

She closed her eyes and smiled softly to herself. Why did this seem so familiar?

"There _is_ a way," Kaede answered, catching Inuyasha's attention from the floor. "Do you really want to help her?"

Inuyasha nodded.

"Are you sure?" she asked again.

"Yes," Inuyasha growled out, getting impatient with her.

"Alright," Kaede replied, "but first, a question."

"What?" Inuyasha forced out through his teeth.

"Are you doing this because you feel obligated to help Kagome?"

Inuyasha's eyes widened. Where did that come from?

But now that Kaede brought up the topic, did he feel that way? Did he really feel obligated to help her just because she had helped him when they were little. He wanted to say yes, but something tugged at him in the back of his mind.

Obligation wasn't the reason and he knew it. The scene of a horrified Kagome filled his mind as he thought. Only one reasonable answer that he was willing to listen to came to his mind.

He never wanted to see anyone as scared as she had been while he was around.

Kaede watched the hanyou as he lost himself in his thoughts again. She looked out the window, Kagome's round with Miroku had just finished.

She wanted to wait for Inuyasha's answer, but that was something time wouldn't allow her to know just yet.

"Shiori," she called out.

Inuyasha's mind went blank.

:-:-:

Kagome panted as she held herself up against her knees, back hunched over in an effort to breathe easier.

Nine rounds. She had just endured nine rounds of survival training. And three of which turned out exactly as she expected.

The first was comprised of daggers very similar to the one she encountered in the rain. Second round was made out of wind blades like the second attack. The fifth round was the scariest though, where she had to survive 10 minutes fending off a serpent.

The thought of seeing those red eyes again was enough to send shivers down her spine.

There was one more round left, the one that Sango said was left empty before she filled it in with Kouga. Before the training began she was informed by Miroku that he had managed to talk Kouga out of filling it and had headed home.

So who was her last partner or opponent supposed to be?

Sango had said that she knew why the slot was empty after she had seen Inu-…

…Wait…

Realization dawned on Kagome, her face reflecting the shock she was experiencing.

"The last round will consist of one obstacle with no partner." Sango announced over the loud speaker. Kagome could hear a faint surprise in her friend's tone as she read the rules aloud.

The barrier on the opposite standing wall was lifted, revealing the hallway in which her opponent was to enter the stadium through. She stared intently, anxiously. There was only one thing she was hoping for right now.

'_Please don't let it be-!'_

Inuyasha stepped out.

:-:-:

AN: This is a slightly longer chapter given to you readers as an apology for taking so long to update. I'm sorry but writer's block hit me hard for this fic. I had no idea what to do while writing this chapter. After I started coming up with a solid plot of "Eternal Snow" I figured I should do the same for "Alternate Reality". What to do with the plot was a bit of challenge though. But I finally managed to get everything worked out and the plot is here so hopefully I'll be able to update faster.

However, there will still be a lag in updates because I'm entering my junior year in high school with AP classes to boot. So that will be taking a lot of my time. I'm not sure if you'll be seeing another update this summer though. I'll be away on a month long trip and will probably not have internet access for a while. But that doesn't mean I'll stop writing. I'll still write but I won't be able to upload them so hopefully you'll be getting a batch of chapters by the end of summer break.

As I usually say, the end of this chapter seemed really rushed to me. I was getting excited that I was actually finishing a chapter for this story again. And by the way, I've noticed something wrong with the uploading while I was updating for Eternal Snow. Sometimes, when I upload chapters, the editor tends to squish some of my words together. So if that happens again, just tell me and I'll fix it.

ALERT: I am looking for a beta reader. Please message me if you're interested.

Review Please!


	18. Round 10

_**Alternate Reality**_

_**Chapter 18**_

_**Round 10**_

_**:-:-:**_

Kagome couldn't believe her eyes. She blinked over and over again, wondering if this was just some illusion. It had to be, right? Why would Inuyasha want to come out here and train with her?

Never mind that. She wasn't training with him; she was fighting with him from what the rules had stated.

She wanted to believe it was some kind of illusion but her senses told her differently. No matter how she turned the situation around in her mind she couldn't prove that it wasn't him. His aura was the one she had always known.

The hanyou approaching her waved at her with a smile; his eyes calmly watching her as he continued on his trek across the wide open stadium floor. He looked like he was ready for this, not nervous at all.

Although, she wouldn't blame him if he wasn't nervous. She wasn't exactly the most threatening mage in the area… or the world… Her powers couldn't be considered offensive by anyone unless she was assisted.

He was coming closer and Kagome didn't know what to do. She could only stand there and watch his arrival. He finally made it, standing about five feet away from her. But now he was different from what she had seen of him farther away.

He was emotionless.

She opened her mouth, different questions spinning around in her head. It closed and opened like a fish until the tension in the air weighed too greatly on her.

"Inuyasha," she forced out, looking directly at his blank face. What was wrong with him? "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be…up there…" she trailed off.

He remained silent. Blue eyes scrutinized his face; it was as if he hadn't heard a word she said. And she knew that was impossible with those ears of his. He wouldn't pretend to not hear her like that. It was times like this where he would take the chance to say something sarcastic.

But there was nothing… He only stood there and stared.

That golden, blank stare was unnerving. She wasn't stupid, something was up.

And she was going to find out what.

"Begin," Sango's voice rang out over the loud speaker.

All thoughts of trying to figure out the problem flew from her mind. Kagome's senses snapped to attention, catching the quick motion of Inuyasha's hand as it rose and moved to come down.

She wasn't gonna let that happen.

Quickly, Kagome jumped back, watching as the clawed hand impacted to the ground due to her absence. She squinted at him, analyzing his movements in an effort to see what she was up against.

Inuyasha fighting was something that she had never witnessed.

The hanyou pulled his claw out of the ground, baring the sharp nails as Kagome almost flinched at the sight of them. His golden eyes bore into her as she stared back, frozen. A shiver ran down her spine as she concentrated on her next move.

A breeze blew through her hair as she closed her eyes quickly. A feeling of weightlessness took over her as she opened them and landed on the ground. Her blue eyes now burned into Inuyasha's back because of her transportation. The next move went through her mind as she poised herself to go on the offensive (or what she hoped was offensive).

What she didn't anticipate were the golden stares from the hanyou to appear only inches away from her face.

:-:-:

Miroku paced down the flight of stairs, careful not to trip over a step because of his haste. He had just been retrieving his stuff from one of the many conference rooms in the stadium when he chanced a look out the window. Needless to say that he was surprised that Inuyasha and Kagome's match had come so quickly, but frowned as he thought of the struggle it took Kaede to convince him to do this.

He had heard Sango's announcement over the speaker and knew the rules, but he didn't know what exactly Kaede was expecting out of this.

"Begin," he heard Sango's voice command over head.

He was just about to walk away from the window and watch the most likely strange match between his two confused friends downstairs when something akin to an explosion caught his ears. His eyes darted out to the window as he backed up to catch the full view of the occurrences.

Kagome was surprised, wide-eyed and everything. She stood there and stared at her hanyou friend, trying to decipher what was going on.

As was he.

To him, it looked like Inuyasha had just attacked Kagome without holding anything back, which would explain why his hand was in the ground. He could only blink. That wasn't something Inuyasha would do.

Inuyasha wouldn't attack with everything he had unless he was in serious danger. He wouldn't pull something like that on a friend, Kagome especially. At least, the one _he_ knew wouldn't do that.

He watched as Kagome teleported herself behind her opponent. But it surprised him when Inuyasha suddenly appeared in front of her and attempted to strike again.

That was when he rushed out of there.

Miroku grabbed the railing as he swung himself around to run down the next flight of steps. It didn't take long until he spotted the room he was looking for, the one right beside the last flight of stairs.

The room with the window where Sango was supposedly over looking the match.

The last flight of stairs arrived and Miroku was just about to keel over to catch his breath when he ran straight into the room. Sango and Kaede stared at him from the window they were standing at, surprised upon his entrance.

Miroku heaved a deep breath. It was about 10 flights of stairs from the conference room he had been a few minutes ago to the one he was in now. "Why," he began and took another puff of air, "is Inuyasha fighting like that?" he demanded the old woman, pointing out the window to indicate the intense violence Inuyasha was displaying.

Sango returned her eyes to the scene before, having already received an explanation from the old miko. She understood Kaede's reason, but she couldn't help but think that this was still a bit extreme.

Kaede smiled gently at the boy. "Sit down Miroku, catch your breath first." She suggested and padded over to the table in the middle of the room.

Miroku looked to the window and to the chair, reluctantly pulling it back and flopping himself down on it. This was serious.

Another sonic boom erupted beyond the window. The sitting boy leaned to the side to see what was hidden by Kaede, but all he could see through the glass were dirt clouds. It was definitely not a regular training session.

The old woman stood before her former pupil with a smile. "Miroku, do you know why I called for this training session today?"

This caused Miroku to frown. Kaede always called sudden training sessions on them for no reason at all. If she was only asking now, that meant it was important. He looked to Sango for some kind of answer or indication that she knew what she was talking about.

No such luck since her eyes were glued to the window.

He shook his head in response.

"Miroku," Kaede began, "I have decided to place you and Sango as Kagome's guardians." She announced to him, shocking the lad enough to make him almost fall out of his chair.

He hadn't been expecting that.

He blinked at her as if she had just been raised from the dead. "Guardians?" he repeated mindlessly, knowing for sure that he had her correctly.

"Yes, you and Sango are to be her guardians." She repeated for him slowly, hoping the information would sink in correctly.

The boy's eyes wandered over to his friend at the window, surprise was nowhere near her expression. She was completely calm when she looked over to him to observe his reaction. "I don't know about you but I've already agreed."

Miroku's attention shot back to Kaede and he waved his hands surprised. "I wasn't saying that. It's not that I don't want to. Of course I accept, but why does Kagome need us?"

He knew all too well of the guardian concept. Guardians were mages assigned to other mages who were potential targets of some sort of danger. Kagome wouldn't need guardians unless she was in trouble. But she hadn't been in any jeopardy as far as he knew.

That was when he remembered the times she had been absent from school.

Could that have been when…?

"She's been attacked," Kaede informed him with a grim tone. "Three times already in the past few weeks."

Miroku blinked a few times, letting the new information sink in. He couldn't really say he was surprised though, instead he was inwardly berating himself. He had sensed the strange patterns of the wind a few weeks ago. How come he never really thought more about it?

Besides, Kagome was probably one of _the_ most obvious targets in the organization.

Another explosion sounded off from the stadium. This time Miroku managed to catch a glimpse of Kagome before she teleported again as well as Inuyasha rushing to her when she reappeared, claws bared.

"I see…" The wind user trailed off as he tied up the loose ends. "And you intend to place Inuyasha as one of her guardians too?" He asked, catching on to Kaede's intentions much quicker than she thought he would.

The old woman nodded, "Yes."

"But why is he-?" he cut himself abruptly as he caught the glimpse of silver hair in the corner of the room. There sat a girl, silver tresses flowed from her head as they framed her bright purple eyes. Sitting there, she stared listlessly at the floor, as if she were asleep with her eyes open.

She had always been a mystery to him, as well as to everyone else in the organization save for Kaede and Kagome.

There were only two things that were known about her by the commoners of the organization.

One was that her name was Shiori. The other was that she could manipulate the mind.

Miroku realized the situation in an instance. "Shiori's controlling Inuyasha?" he asked, almost disbelievingly.

"That's correct," Kaede answered.

"What for?" he asked, confused. "Why is she making him fight like that?"

"Because I asked her to."

"Why?"

Kaede turned her back on him, padding her way towards the window as another explosive sound shook the glass barrier between the two areas. "I want to see just how determined he is to help her."

:-:-:

Kagome squinted against the rogue dirt flying through the air, blinking from time to time to keep her vision clear. It hadn't been long before she had been able to figure out what was wrong with Inuyasha.

Once the fight had been endured long enough, Kagome had been able to discern a pattern in Inuyasha's actions. She had to admit it wasn't very complicated; it was almost too simple that she quickly assumed it as a trap.

The only thing this fight had consisted of was her transporting and Inuyasha chasing after her. She transported again once he got there. That's where the cycle reached its end and looped around to start over again.

So she resorted to this strategy for the beginning part of the battle. She didn't bother anymore than that. The possibility of a trap was meaningless to her unless she knew what exactly she was dealing with.

Her mind took the initiative and began to contemplate.

It was already decided that Inuyasha would fill in the tenth slot of the training session. Sango had proven that in the conference room when she spotted him. But how did they know that he would agree to take part? They must have had some way of making sure he would say yes.

There was the possibility that they bribed him.

She shook her head at that idea. Inuyasha wouldn't give in so easily.

He could have been threatened.

But how would they threaten him? Knowing Inuyasha, he would probably challenge the threat because of his stubbornness.

There was only one last possibility that made sense. And it made a whole lot more sense than the others; it even explained why he was acting this way.

His mind was being controlled.

And there are only two ways to interfere with mind control: either destroy or distract the person manipulating long enough to lose their concentration, or the victim would have to fight against the control.

She closed her eyes as another bout of weightlessness washed over her. A frown pulled at her features as she concentrated, trying to find the source of the power.

An unfamiliar aura lightly tinting Inuyasha's own was the only thing she could pick up. She hadn't been able to sense that earlier, but it was something that you needed to be looking for to actually notice.

However, the only unfamiliar aura she could sense was the one on him already.

There was no other identical one in the area.

That only left one other option.

He had to fight it.

A gasp tore from Kagome's throat as she abruptly snapped out of her concentrating daze. She had been searching so hard for the other aura that she had forgotten about Inuyasha's movements.

She had completely missed the sudden change in the pattern.

He had just grabbed her wrist, preventing any means of escape for her.

Kagome blinked quickly, urgently willing the sense of weightlessness to take over her again. It never came.

Her blue eyes widened in horror when he spun her around to face him. A shiver ran up her spine. The blank golden stare he was giving her didn't match the uncharacteristic, sadistic smirk on his face.

She knew how Inuyasha smirked. That definitely wasn't him.

Her attention was instantly caught as he raised his claw high above her head. If it was possible for her eyes to get any bigger they did right then. She stood there, trapped as Inuyasha's grip on her wrist refused to loosen. She would've tried to struggle, but she knew it was hopeless. There was only one thought running through her head as she stared up at his lethal nails.

'_What's happening?'_

She knew exactly what was happening. Every singly detail she knew. But she didn't want to believe any of it. The notion of being in a training session completely left her mind. Now it was only her and Inuyasha.

And she was going to be killed by him.

So many different things happened in that moment that she almost got dizzy. Inuyasha's claws suddenly began to scrape against the air, falling down on her with the intention to kill. Instinctively, Kagome screamed at the top of her lungs, screwing her eyes shut in an attempt to block everything out. She dully noted the sound of Sango and Miroku's voices shouting for her behind her but she didn't care.

She couldn't be saved now.

She was going to die.

…

Silenced engulfed the whole stadium. Not even the sound of the air encircling the area could be heard. Miroku and Sango, having rushed out into the stadium when they panicked for Kagome, could only watch their friends as the seconds ticked past.

Kagome's body was stiff. Panic had overwhelmed her at the sight of those sharp nails. She awaited the pain that she knew would be coming, hoping to brace herself against it.

But it never came.

She chanced a look as she cracked her eyes open… She hadn't been hurt yet… Not that she wanted to, but she wanted to know why.

Her eyes opened completely as she surveyed her now frozen friend in front of her… Well, almost frozen anyway.

He was shaking, trembling as if he were cold. His claws were only mere inches from her face but she didn't take note of it as much as she felt the trembling in his hand as he held her.

She knew what the shaking was and all panic drained from her body.

Sango and Miroku heaved a sigh of relief from the sidelines.

He was fighting it.

:-:-:

What the hell?

That was one phrase that could sum up what Inuyasha was thinking as he snapped out of what he thought was a nap. There were a whole lot more colorful ones he could have come up with but that was the first one that hit him as he woke up to the scene before him. This was something more important.

It was like he was looking through someone else's eyes. But he knew for sure that he was in his own body. A claw entered his vision; he would be damned if he didn't even know what his own hand looked like.

He could see and feel everything he should have; there was only one very annoying difference: He couldn't move.

He watched through his eyes as his body dashed from place to place. Confusion automatically overtook him. What was he doing?

That was when Kagome entered his line of sight, her back to him as he raced to her in an instant. What was he doing?

He felt the sensation of skin on skin contact in his still trapped hand; still unable to move. When his body spun her around to face him he almost growled with anger.

Her eyes were stunned, horrified. They were the same eyes that had stared up at him with tears a few nights ago.

He swore he would never let that happen again. And yet it was him that was evoking this fear in her. But at the same time it wasn't him. A frown pasted itself to his face as he growled.

That's when realization hit him. He was going to hurt Kagome. Why else would she be so scared of him.

"What the hell is going on?" He bellowed what he hoped to be out loud, and yet his voice didn't reach his ears. Kagome didn't seem to have noticed either. She was still staring at him with those wide eyes.

He could feel his claw rise in the air, waiting to harm her in some way that he wasn't aware of. But whatever it was, he knew wouldn't allow it.

Although he wasn't sure what exactly it was that triggered the very strange chain of events. Was it Kagome's scream that rang through his ears? Or was it him instinctively pulling at the invisible bonds around him.

Whatever it was it had worked.

His claw had ceased to move.

:-:-:

"Shiori?" Kaede padded over to the young, hanyou girl in the corner. Her breathing had suddenly spiked at the same moment Inuyasha had suddenly started shaking in the arena.

The old woman kneeled down to inspect the girl's face. A struggling frown was clearly printed upon it as her concentration fought to hold. Kaede smiled softly to herself as she turned back to the window to watch the progress.

Things were turning out just as she expected… Or hoped in the very least.

She was absolutely sure that Kagome wouldn't be hurt in this trial, even though that didn't seem believable to Sango or Miroku since they had dashed out of the room in a panic. Even if Inuyasha hadn't fought off Shiori's manipulation at that moment, Shiori would've stopped.

The gifted, hanyou girl, if anything, was quite exceptional when it came to control. She had such precise skills that, if she wanted to, she could've stopped Inuyasha's claw the moment it touched her skin without breaking it or harming her.

Besides, Shiori was quite fond of Kagome. She wouldn't hurt a friend.

Kaede was glad that Inuyasha had snapped out of it in time. She could tell in that instant that he was definitely determined. The intense breathing that Shiori was enduring to keep her control in check was enough proof.

A peak out the window revealed to her that Kagome had escaped from Inuyasha, but not that far. She stood about a few feet from him as he continued to shake.

Now it was time to see if that resolve could last.

:-:-:

Kagome stood her ground, determined to see this struggle through. She was very aware of Sango and Miroku's presence behind her, but she refused to listen to their warnings to back away. She wasn't going to abandon him in this state.

There was nothing she could do for Inuyasha but to stay by him now. So that's what she would do.

She had only heard about the effects of mind control on a victim. Shiori had explained it to her many times but it was something that couldn't be easily comprehended. And from the very little she understood, the only thing she was able to grasp was that it was like packing the victim into a very small box, locking them away, and taking over the space they had conquered.

She couldn't even imagine being trapped in the way her friend had described. Only the strongly willed people were capable of breaking through.

Kagome's eyes widened worriedly when Inuyasha's shaking increased, scaring the girl like nothing else.

"Inuyasha!" she called out and ran over to him, concern etched all over her face when the hanyou dropped to the ground, his shaking growing even more.

But then it stopped. It had stopped so suddenly that it made her wonder if he had been shaking at all. She kneeled down on the ground next to him, leaning over him to see if he was okay.

There were only two possible reasons for his ceased trembling. He had either won against the mind control, or he had lost and the mind controller was regaining complete control.

"Inuyasha?" she breathed, trying to get a view of his face, but he turned away.

She practically jumped when his hand reached up… only to cover his eyes and massage them. Instant strain had hit him when he returned.

"Kagome?" He looked to her with a questioning look. The smile on Kagome's face was comforting but ignored it for now. "What the hell was I doing?" he practically barked.

The kneeling girl didn't even flinch at his sudden question. "Come on," she stood up and pulled him up with her. He blinked at her, confused. "We need to go talk to Kaede."

:-:-:

Inuyasha slammed the door as he followed Kaede into the room. She had wanted to talk with him alone, but he, unfortunately, was not really in the mood for a pleasant conversation.

"What the hell happened out there hag? One minute I'm answering your question and then I realize I'm out there and I have no control over my actions!" he shrieked at her. Kagome had done nothing to quell his confusion. She probably would have, but at the moment of their exit from the stadium Kaede had called him here.

Kaede was silent as she snaked her way around the table to find the window overlooking the stadium at a different angle. A frown pulled on the hanyou's face. He refused to be ignored. He had the right to know now. "Why the hell was I acting like that?"

The old lady gave him a side long glance and turned back to the stadium, surveying the many holes that now littered the ground. She answered plainly, knowing all too well that there was no way to beat around the bush with Inuyasha. "You were being controlled."

He glared at her, "Why?" he demanded through gritted teeth.

"I was testing you, Inuyasha," she said calmly and slowly.

Suspicion covered his face and he folded his arms. "What for?"

A tired sigh escaped her, ignoring his questions and instead getting to the point, "I understand Kagome has told you about her standing as a target for a killer, correct?"

He nodded, pure seriousness on his face. What did that have to do with his being controlled?

"The reason I called for this training session was to determine who would be fit to act as Kagome's guardians…" she started but didn't finish, knowing questions would be coming. She preferred to play on questions nowadays instead of just talking.

"Guardians?"

"They are mages or other capable people assigned to potentially targeted mages, like Kagome, in order to protect them."

Inuyasha understood and nodded, "Uh-huh…"

Kaede turned away from the window, "And you, Inuyasha, happen to be the most capable person for the job." She finally got to the point, but only served to confuse Inuyasha even more. She tried for a smile but faltered.

His eye started twitching. "What?"

"Believe it or not, you happen to be the one that Kagome is with the most." She informed, Inuyasha didn't really believe that but whatever. "And because of the last incident, we know that the perpetrator is willing to break into the house to do it. If she's safest anywhere it would be at home, but that obviously isn't the case anymore."

The hanyou caught on, understanding her point, but not completely sure if he wanted to be involved in this. He raised an eyebrow, ready to clarify a few things.

"Guardians protect targets…"

Kaede nodded.

"And you want me to be one?"

She nodded again.

"Why did I need to be controlled, then?"

Kaede observed his face, he was serious. "I was checking to see if you were really determined." Inuyasha was about to interrupt her but she kept going, "If you were truly determined to help Kagome you would be able to stop yourself from hurting her no matter how strong the control was. And that's what you did."

Inuyasha blinked at her, seeing where she was coming from.

"You said you wanted to help Kagome, didn't you? Acting as her guardian is one of the best ways to help her." When Inuyasha remained silent, which was really strange, she added, "Miroku and Sango have also been assigned as guardians, you're not the only one."

Inuyasha nodded blankly.

A few minutes passed, silence blanketed them as Kaede waited for an answer.

"Will you help her?"

"Yes," He answered firmly, having thought everything over in those few minutes. He wanted to find a way he could truly help Kagome. Especially after the last time she had been hurt, she had been so scared.

And what was he able to do for her? He could only comfort her after the creature ran away. And all the other times? Sit and watch as she coped with the wounds.

He had felt worthless, not being able to protect a person that he owed so much to.

That had stung.

Now, he was given a chance to make a difference in her life, like she had his, and he was gonna take it.

Kaede smiled and dismissed him. He nodded and opened the door.

"Inuyasha," he looked back at the old woman, "Thank you," she smiled, warmly this time.

He acknowledged her and shut the door with a click.

Kaede watched as he exited through the door, leaving her alone in the room with her thoughts. She almost instantly plopped herself down in one of the seats around the table. A chuckle escaped her lips as she ran her hand over her face in a futile effort to wipe the stress away.

The way today played out was almost like the last time.

'_I wonder if he'll ever find out…'_ she mused to herself. _'Whether he finds out or not will be up to the both of them, I guess…'_ A smile tuggedat her lips.

Who knew they would be so similar.

:-:-:

AN: Well, that was a fun chapter. :laughs: I actually had a hard time writing this chapter, action scenes are not exactly the easiest thing for me to write. So I took many breaks while typing it out.

There won't be any updates soon on account of I'm going on a trip. But don't worry, I'll still write while I'm away. I still have a notebook to write in. I'll just upload all the chapters I write at once at the end of summer. I hope you all are willing to wait a bit.

I feel kind of bad that this chapter only covered one round of the training session and **only **the session. I really felt like I should add more stuff, like what else happened after round 10, but I just didn't have time. I know the story is really lagging, and I'm sorry. You'll find out what else happens when I get back.

And to the people bothering to review: Thanks so much for the comments! I appreciate it!

And for the people who haven't: It's not too late :cheesy smile:


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